Into the Garden
by CCS AnGeL00
Summary: [GV] Like dominos, time is unraveled when a space cowboy defeats a deadly foe many years before his destined death. The result is a universe where planet Vegeta was never destroyed and one girl gets ready to face her past in an adventure of a lifetime.
1. Prologue: Vision of Sin

**Official Summary**:  Like dominos, time is unraveled when one lone space cowboy makes an unscheduled stop and defeats a deadly foe many years before his destined death. The result is a universe where planet Vegeta was never destroyed, Saiyans aren't the planet purgers we know them to be, and one young woman on Earth gets ready to face her hidden past in the adventure of a lifetime.

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**Prologue**: Vision of Sin  
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_Hello darkness my old friend_  
_I've come to talk with you again_  
_Because a vision softly creeping_  
_Left its seeds while I was sleeping_  
_And the vision that was planted in my brain_  
_Still remains_  
_ Within the sound of silence._   
- Simon and Garfunkle  
  
-----------------------------

730 A.D.   
An indeterminate location

Trunks leaned dejectedly against his time capsule, wondering for the hundredth time that minute how this could have possibly happened. His mother's plans for time travel had been infallible, and yet, here he was, too many years early and not anywhere close to Earth. 

The landscape around the lavender haired teen was beautiful. The sky was a dark, sharp indigo, laced with pinks and reds, reminiscent of a sunset on Earth. Rolling hills surrounded him, as did trees as tall as sky scrapers, reaching their winding limbs to the heavens. There was a river about a hundred meters away, and in it flowed a light, aqua substance; whether it was water or not, Trunks wasn't sure, and he wasn't about to experiment. It was translucent, however, and reflected the silver and golden light from the two moons orbiting the planet, one from the north of the sky and the other from the west. Stars and other planets littered the sky, and from his position he could tell the he'd ended up somewhere in the North Quadrant, presumably light years away from his intended destination. 

Trunks sighed. Lost in a vortex of time and space, there was something to be said about the disadvantages of being a space cowboy.

His mother's theories on time travel were extraordinary. She'd been formulating the plans as soon as the androids had begun their reign of death and destruction, throwing every bit of herself into the project. She prayed that it would be enough, that she would be in time --

 "In time for what?" Trunks had asked, peering over this mother's shoulder as she worked on the quantum physics equation that had stumped her for over two months.

Bulma had looked up at him, her long hair rustling back and forth behind her. She tapped her pen against the desk and then to her mouth. "I'm not sure. In time to save others from the fate we've been dealt, I guess. If time travel IS possible, Goku can live to fight the androids. You and Gohan can grow up fairly normal lives, not fearing death around every corner. We've been condemned to this hell, Trunks, but that doesn't mean we can't try to stop it from condemning others."

She was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. 

Her eyes had suddenly misted over, and she turned sharply back to the blueprints. He knew instinctively what she was thinking. If he could somehow find a way to alter the timeline, the androids would be defeated and his father would never have been killed. Bulma hardly ever talked about him, but from what he did know he could only guess how much his mother had loved his father. When he asked her whether Vegeta loved her as well, Bulma had truthfully answered that he never told her. She knew, however, and made a point to tell him so, that he was the product of something so pure and deep that love might not even be an adequate term to describe it.

Could he give his mother and father a second chance at happiness?

He slumped onto the ground and put his head in his hands. This little detour completely obliterated all of the meticulous plans that his mother and he had made in order to save the Earth from the android threat. He hadn't seen anyone on the dark planet so far, but he knew that could change any second, and any interaction with someone from this time, even in so far as someone _seeing_ him would create an alternate timeline.

He had no desire to create another dimension, but he was in a bit of a fix. His computer had malfunctioned, leaving him scrambling for a spare satellite uplink device, which he had to obtain else he wanted to be stranded on this planet for the rest of his life. Talk about behind trapped between a rock and a hard place. He was going to have to risk it; he needed to get off this planet alive in order to get to the right time. If he failed at his intended mission, he didn't even want to think about the consequences.

Any parts he managed to get his hands on would be outdated, but he had enough scientific tutelage from his mother and his grandfather to make do with what he could get. He manually moved the ship into a small cove about two hundred meters away from the landing site, where it was nicely camouflaged from the outside, said a quick prayer that he would find intelligent life on this planet, and took off into the direction of the small life energy he'd honed in on.

Oh, he was going to hell for certain for interfering with the natural course of the universe, even if it wasn't entirely fault. Perhaps he'd meet his father there, so at least one good thing could come out of it. His keen eyesight spotted a group of buildings that resembled something like a residential dwelling and sped up in order to reach the village before someone -- or someTHING --- attacked his capsule. He was practicing his helpless look in order to get someone to assist him when he was assaulted by a ki force so strong that it almost knocked him over in the air.

 "No," he whispered in horror, trying to gather his bearings. "It just can't be."

But it was. He heard the terrified shrieks from the alien village over fifty kilometers away. When he finally reached his destination, he was presented with such carnage that he never thought he'd see again. The pungent smell of death filled the air and attacked Trunks' nostrils, bringing back the awful memories of his own timeline. He hoped against hope that his mother was safe in his own timeline, wherever she was. 

He flew silently over the village, praying for the salvation of the souls that littered the cobblestone streets. Fires rampaged down below and as far ash is eyes could see. Houses and stores lay in rubble beneath the think, black smoke, Trunks surmised, leveled by pretty damn strong ki blasts. He debated flying down to check if there were any survivors, but he had no time to spare. Each second that passed, another life was being taken away. Frightening screams of man, woman and children alike surrounded him, bringing tears to eyes and setting hatred flowing through his warrior veins. Killing innocent people. 

The life on the planet would not be destroyed, he swore, alternate dimensions be damned.

Sons would not be left to grow up without fathers.

There were many, he determined, that were already dead, and countless lay dying. As the smoke cleared, he dropped onto a small hill above the village and flared his ki, forcing those that were responsible for the destruction to acknowledge his presence. There were only six -- they must have realized the people of this planet would probably not be much of match for the growing army. The thirst for revenge was almost unbearable now for the time traveling boy, the alien nature of his blood reaching into the deepest parts of his human soul, awakening such a feeling he had never experienced. He wanted it so terribly that he could taste it, spilling the tyrant's blood on his hands, reveling in it. The energy field around him exploded in an exponential fashion, surrounding him in a bright, violet light, matching the hues of the foreign atmosphere. 

He gripped his blade with blinding speed, and with a battle cry, descended into the bloodbath. Before the bodies of the elite force dropped to the ground, the pointed tip of the sword was pressed roughly against the cold, slimy neck of the leader, of their Lord, of the one that would bring destruction, death and heartache to the entire universe, leaving none spared in his wake. Trunks' breath was hot and heavy, and his chest felt like it was on fire. He pressed the tip of the sword harder, drawing a bluish-black fluid that he supposed was blood.

 "I haven't the faintest idea who you are," gasped the lizard-like creature, grabbing the hilt of the sword in an attempt to remove it from the position, "but I assure you that it would be in your best interest to release me at once." His smooth voice and poignant tone reflected education and refinement, an irony that made Trunks laugh out loud, to the complete horror of the Ice-jin.

 "You came to this planet, killing thousands of innocents, for what? The pleasure of the kill?" Trunks' blue eyes were icy and murderous, his blade still against the cold skin, despite the monster's attempts to dislodge it. Trunks was playing with a bomb now, he reflected. If he eradicated this creature much like his instincts were telling him to do, he couldn't tell what would become of this timeline.

 "Those that are strong," rasped the creature, now deathly afraid at the aura that was blazing around the strangely colored boy and the energy level he was emitting, "are recruited into my army. Those that are weak... do not deserve to live. You are a impressive warrior, one of the strongest I have seen in some time. You may want to consider joining yourself, as it would be most beneficial to the both of us. "

... Are recruited into my army, were the only words that Trunks had heard, his mind whirling at memories and stories, of his mother sobbing on the living room carpet, unable to tell a twelve-year old Trunks about his father's past, because it hurt her too much to even repeat the words that Vegeta had shared with her about his time spent in the tyrant's army. And now he was torn. This timeline was altered and he would certainly not be able to change that. It was irresponsible of him, but it had to be done. The warrior in him could not allow any more innocent people to die at the hands of such a murderer.

It was much like that game he had played with his grandfather when he was younger. They had set up hundreds upon hundreds of black and white tiles around the house, all only an inch apart from each other. However, the excitement of the game was not the building, but the falling; pushing the first tile into the second started a chain reaction that was impossible to stop once it was started, but fascinating to watch as all of the tiles fell over one after another, down the hall and up a ramp and over the dining room table and under his grandmother's feet and next to the bookcase.

If he killed this bastard, time would flow like dominos. Everything would be different as the tiles would fall one after another. Barring believing in fate and destiny, there was a good possibility that his parents would never meet and he would never be born. Goku would never be sent to Earth and embark on a journey with his mother to find the Dragonballs, and, knowing his mother, she would give up as soon as she lost interest or found a boyfriend that she didn't need to wish for. Dragonballs would be forgotten. Without the desire for the Dragonballs, Earth would be left in relative peace, as they were at the root of most of the trouble on Earth: the Red Ribbon Army, Pilaf and his henchmen, Garlic Jr., the list goes on and on.

But most importantly, if Trunks killed him, Vegeta-sei would never have been destroyed.

Could he afford to play around with the delicate rules of time that way?

 "I would rather die than join forces with you," hissed Trunks, tightening his grip on the sword, but his momentary lapse when he was thinking about time cost him dearly. The purple and white-colored being was able to wretch the sword out of Trunks' hand, pulling it forcefully away from him. He, however, had underestimated the sheer bulk of the blade, and was forced to drop it as the momentum carried it some meters away. 

It was a most unbearable laugh that reached Trunks' ears as his weapon was flung into the air. "You will wish that you had died, boy, rather than combating with me."

_Father, did you ever wish you were dead rather than serving in that army?_ Trunks thought, adjusting to the lack of weight at the absence of his sword. He hardly needed it to ensure a victory, but his foe certainly didn't need to know that. _Did you ever wish that he had killed you instead of beating you? Instead of forcing you to be his lapdog? Instead of threatening the destruction of your planet and your people? Instead of doing whatever sick and twisted things to you that came to his disturbed mind?"_

And then he remembered when his mother told him about Vegeta's scars, the ones on his body and the ones in his heart. The wounds in his mind, the nightmares that plagued him, of unspeakable things that brought tears to even the proud warrior's eyes. He thought of his father and he made his decision, the swirling of Saiyan bloodlust and human emotion running rampant through his body, surrounding his pure heart, swearing to the heavens and the stars above that in one timeline, his father would not be made to suffer.

His father in this time would not suffer. His father in Goku's time would have a chance at happiness, if he was able to get off of this goddamn planet and get to the time he was supposed to be in. And for his father from his own time...

_We've been condemned to this hell, Trunks, but that doesn't mean we can't try to stop it from condemning others._

He would have revenge.

Trunks looked up at his rival, who had taken to the air, floating about three meters off of the soft ground. With a wicked smile across his ugly features, he began to power up, the ki blast in his fingertips that was enlarging by the minute. Trunks wasn't phased, however, holding up his hands parallel to his body, palms flat at his sides, an unstable, violet energy surging through him. It would only be seconds, seconds he prayed that head --

His body was engulfed in golden flames, blinding the other momentarily. His lavender hair shot up, defying gravity, flickering between the yellow and purple color before deciding on the former. His normally beautiful azure eyes, the ones that would always remind people of his mother's, were covered in cold frost, turning a frigid turquoise. His aura exploded with his cry, almost causing his opponent to stumble in the air and his blast to dissipate into nothingness.

 "No," the other whispered in horror, "It can't be. That's just a legend, it's just a leg --"

Trunks' voice was calm and devoid of emotion. "My name is Prince Trunks Vegeta Briefs, heir to the throne of the House of Vegeta." He brought his arms up from his sides and reached out in front of him. His palms were suddenly ablaze, building up a ball of energy so great that the other visibly trembled.

 "That's impossible," came the reply. "That's just not poss --"

 "And you, Frieza," said Trunks, energy building to maximum around him," are the only one that is going to die here today."

Frieza put up his hands. "Don't you think we should engage in a bit more negotiation first, dear boy? You would be a formidable addition to my army, you know, with the potential to rule by my side. You would have the universe at your fingertips!"

Trunks ignored him. "For all of those who've died at your hands. For all of those you've caused pain. For my mother. For my people."

 "My dear prince --"

The energy was so great between the two that Trunks was almost knocked over from the force of it. But he would not budge. He would not give. His glance was deadly, hoping that wherever Frieza ended up, there would be no mercy. "FOR MY FATHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Trunks screamed, almost in agony, feeling the _ki_ detach from his fingertips.

"You will regret this one day, sweet prince," the other's final words were nothing but condescending, but it hardly mattered as Trunks was conducting so much energy and emotion at that moment that he could hear nothing but the blood through his veins and the beating of his own heart. Gohan hadn't wanted to teach him this, unsure that he even _could_ teach it to him, but Trunks had begged and pleaded. Gohan had the _Kamehameha_...wouldn't he let him have a bit of his own father?

 "_GALLIC GUN_!"

There was a blinding flash of purple light and a bloodcurdling scream. Whether the scream was Frieza's or his own, he would never be able to recall. But there was a scream, one that echoed through the valley, and then Trunks was forced to collapse to his knees at the energy drain, bracing himself against the cold dirt, breathing hard.

There was a scream, but then there was only silence.

---

740 A.D.   
Planet Vegeta 

Somewhere at the edge of the galaxy, among the stars and the spirits of our ancestors, lay a little known planet known as Vegeta-sei. On Vegeta-sei, fighters are born, warriors are made and legends are revealed. The people of Vegeta-sei are known as Saiyajins, a race of powerful beings who have a healthy thirst for power and wealth, respect and reverence, blood and fire. They are ruled with an iron fist by their king, Vegeta, who, as he predecessors before him had done, had taken the name of the planet that he ruled over. He had but one son, the Prince of Vegeta, who would one day take his place as king, to be respected, revered and feared by all. 

The king and the prince were, obviously, the head of the Kingdom of Vegeta, but political decisions, legislations and law-making were not the sole responsibility of the royal family. There was a small group of elite warriors made up the Cabinet of Vegeta, and were often called upon to resolve the lesser issues of the planet. The king put his trust in these warriors above all others, and expected his people to do the same. 

"King Vegeta," Bardock addressed his king reverently.  Bardock was Vegeta's trusted advisor, a formidable warrior that had recently been promoted to the status of high elite, and had called for an emergency conference to discuss one of his recent and most disturbing premonitions.   "Last night, I had a vision."

_Oh great_, Cauli, one of the youngest elite warriors present, thought to himself. _It's the return of the fortune telling wonder._

The King looked intrigued. Bardock had picked up somewhat strange mental abilities over a year ago while purging a planet of telepathic creatures.  The ability had come in handy many times over the past year and this would no doubt be one of them.  "Continue, Bardock." 

Bardock ran a hand through his unruly black hair, unsure of how to relay this message to his king. "We are all aware of the legendary Super Saiyajin, and how, years ago, he eradicated this universe of the tyrant known as Frieza,  However, my vision reveals that the wandering warrior had only succeeded in trapping Frieza in an interdimensional prison, between this dimension and the next.   He is gaining power as we speak and I am afraid his escape his imminent, my Lord." 

The Prince had to stop himself from snorting aloud and turned to his father. "I told you he was a crackpot, Father. Everyone knows that the legendary Super Saiyajin killed Frieza." 

"Enough with the legendary Super Saiyajin! This is the hard reality of the situation.  If Bardock says that Frieza is alive, then I, without a doubt, believe it so," the king snapped, making the prince wince. "Frieza is no weakling, as hard as that is to swallow. What do you propose we do about this Bardock?" 

Bardock sat a little higher in his seat. "I have been thinking about the situation, my Lord, and I think our primary concern is to determine the amount of time we have to prepare before Frieza descends on this universe once again. I think we need assemble a team of scientists to pinpoint his approximate whereabouts.  It is probably impossible to obtain an exact location, as he is currently trapped between two dimensions. However, I'm inclined to believe that we can zero in on his power signal and try to determine how long it will take for him to get to full power." Bardock looked thoughtful as he drummed his fingers against the table. 

The king of all Saiyajins stroked his goatee.   "You make a good case, Bardock. What do you think we should do to prepare for his escape?"

"Instead of employing low-class warriors to other planets for their purging," Bardock was on a roll, "they should remain here and train.  Many of the lower class have the ability to increase their power levels, as you well know, my Lord," he continued, no doubt referring to his son, who at birth was gauged at a very low power level, but now, at only five years old, displayed power levels that even high elites would be envious of.

Vegeta nodded. "You make a valid point.  We will need all the manpower available in order to defeat Frieza.  It probably would be wise to discontinue long-term purging plans."

_We will certainly lose great contacts and deals because this annoying insect persists with this so called "seeing the future", _Cauli snorted with disgust.

"Is there a problem, Cauli?" King Vegeta asked, his dark eyes narrowing at the teenager. "For I have yet to hear a suggestion from you. So, please, if you have anything to offer, feel free to jump in any time."

Cauli resisted the urge to tell the King where he could stick his suggestion. "No sire."

The small Prince shook his dark hair and crossed his small arms over his chest, ignoring Cauli totally. "Father, the income of this planet depends heavily on the business we conduct with other planets. Have you forgotten that?"

_At least the king didn't pass his idiocy to the prince._

"I assure you, Prince Vegeta, we have more then enough money to support ourselves.  It is unnecessary to halt all business and trade, just the situations which demand the absence of our warriors for a great amount of time," Bardock urged. "If we do not have enough time to train, there will be no need for economy because there will be no more Vegeta-sei."

"Yes, yes. You make a very good point Bardock," the King murmured to himself. "Frieza will surely come to Vegeta-sei in hopes of destroying it."

_No you twit. He'll want to come to drink and party with us, _Cauli rolled his eyes. _You are _very_ observant, Vegeta. I can see the future is safe in _your_ hands._

"Also," Bardock continued, shooting Cauli a dark look, "many of our greatest fighters are off somewhere in the galaxy as we speak.  It might be wise to ensure their return." 

"That might take longer to accomplish, but I will have a team to get right on it." The King turned towards his advisor once again. "Have you an estimate of how much time we may have, Bardock?" 

Bardock looked ashamed. "I… can't give you an exact date sir.   I, do however, believe that there is ample time to prepare for Frieza's defeat." 

_The man is absolutely daft_; the small Prince almost bit his tongue in half to keep from talking aloud. _And father is a bigger fool to even believe such a story!_

"Then we haven't a moment to waste. That's all for today," King Vegeta said as the elites bowed to him. "Be sure to spread the news that we all must train from now on. We must be ready to defend ourselves... and win." As the group filed out of the room, the King looked at his only son, placing his right hand on his shoulder. "When the time comes to fight, you will be king, my son. You must lead our people to victory." 

The prince looked excited for the first time that day. If he trained hard enough, he might even be able to transform into the warrior of legend, the all-powerful Super Saiyajin. And then, his fool of a father (if Vegeta decided to keep him around that long) would be forced to respect him. Prince Vegeta vowed to train with all his might, just to be able to transform while his father was alive. He grinned as he imagined the look on the old man's face when his son had powered up to a Super Saiyajin, defeating all that blocked his path to victory. 

These next few years should be interesting, indeed.

--- 

748 A.D 

Word of Bardock's vision spread quickly.   Many dismissed him as the prince did, as a nutcase who believed he could see the future.  However, many also knew Bardock and trusted his word, and none could ignore the planet-wide changes ordered by the monarchy.   Thousands of the planet's strongest warriors suddenly found themselves generals and commanders of the army as they took the challenge of training the population.  Those that were talented in the areas of business were put to work immediately, working out alternate means of income for the planet while others were sent to retrieve warriors that were scattered around the galaxy.  Thousands of warriors were also recruited to serve as Vegeta-sei's Intelligence unit, headed by the planet's top scientists.  Their first priority, of course, was to determine Frieza's location, but they were also employed to determine the presence of those that would not be loyal to the House of Vegeta during this time of crisis.  Accusations began to circulate about those that may hold allegiance to Frieza, and Intelligence prosecuted and most likely, executed many that were accused. The Saiyajins attempted to live their lives from day to day, never knowing when they might have to risk their lives for the sake of their planet, feigning normalcy even when their own neighbors were being accused of the highest crimes of treason, hauled off by Saiyajin guards and never to be seen again.

_Die with honor._

"Dying with honor," a small girl snorted, putting the finishing touches on her blue and golden armor.  She had to hurry; her mode of transport left in thirty minutes with or without her, and if it was without her, she would be in more trouble than she'd like to image.  "Honor is dying in battle, not for this stupidity."

"Shh!" A tall, dark haired boy whispered from behind her. "Be careful what you say, Basil."

Basil was fifteen years of age, immensely strong and incredibly bright, loving her home planet and her king despite this age of chaos and uncertainty.  She was small for her age and race, but was lithe and nimble, and, many said, quite beautiful.   She was also rather good-natured, cheerful and loving, unusual for a Saiyajin, and so she kept mostly to herself. She had lived with her parents and her brother in a small house just outside of the palace of the royal family for most of her life.  However, her brother, Mint, had recently gone missing on a training mission and most, including her parents, hardworking, elite-ranking scientists of the Intelligence, presumed the young warrior was dead.   Her brother was nearly the only friend that Basil ever had, and she would have been completely alone but for Kakkarot,  the youngest son of the king's advisor, Bardock.   They were assigned to one of the royal training camps, and when she began to get to know him,  she very quickly grew very fond him.  The son of the elite warrior was very much like her with his friendly and kind demeanor, and fast became her best and most beloved friend.

She had also met Cauli, the cabinet member that oversaw their training.  She took an immediate disliking to Cauli, who was nearly six years older then she but continued to pursue her romantically, despite her best attempts at resisting his advances.

_"Why are you always with Bardock's brat, pretty one? He's still a child. Why be with him when you can have a man?" He dared to touch her left cheek, but she turned her head from him._

_She puffed up her chest and stared him right in the eye. "Kakkarot may only be a boy, but at least he makes me enjoy being a _woman_."_

_Cauli nodded at her, a smirk prominent on his face, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "You have no idea, pretty one, what it means to be a woman until you've been with me."_

_Basil laughed in his face. " Did you come up with that one all on your own?"_

_"I do tire of all your games, Basil. Yield to me, make it easier for yourself. I can give you everything you need."_

_"How about a bag to vomit  in after seeing your face?" She knew she sounded childish, but she just couldn't stand the sight of him any longer.  He was tall and muscular, and many said that he was very good-looking, but she just could not, or perhaps would not, acknowledge it..  His dark eyes were always clouded with anger, his eyebrows more often than not arched in annoyance.  He had long hair, tied back into a pony-tail, and would often flip it over one shoulder cockily as he walked away from people.  She hated him with a passion, and felt bad for any woman that succumbed to his advances._

_"I'm sorry you feel that way. But in the end, you're the one who is going to be sorry, pretty one." _

He hadn't spoken to her since.

Another person she couldn't help but despise was the Prince of the Saiyajins, Vegeta.   To her dismay, he and Kakkarot were often sparring partners, and she ended up spending a great deal more time around the arrogant prince than she would have otherwise liked.  His "holier then thou" attitude ticked her off to no end and he thought he could have anyone and anything he wanted. She was more than happy to teach him otherwise. Although he was closer to her age than the bastard Cauli, she had resisted his advances as well.  Those in her camp were appalled that she was being pursued by Prince Vegeta, a strong and handsome teenager, and for goodness sake, the PRINCE, but they, thankfully, did not know him and his superiority complex as well as she did .   Although Kakkarot had tried to convince her that Vegeta had a genuine interest in her, she had her personal beliefs that he was more interested the chase itself, and most of the time, she was sure he didn't even _want_ her, but he was too proud to just let her go.

_"I could have you if I wanted," he proclaimed one afternoon, stopping her outside of the huge manor after a particularly grueling sparring match with dozens of the royal guards.  He had kicked their asses, of course, hardly even breaking a sweat.   "I could have anything I wanted."_

_She refrained from rolling her eyes, reminding herself he was still royalty and didn't want to jeopardize her parent's work or all of their lives. "With all do respect, my Lord. I must be on my way to training." _

_He grabbed her arm none too gently, his dark eyes drilling into hers. "I will have you, Basil."_

_She stared at him evenly. "I am not an object to be had, Prince Vegeta. You would be wise to remember  that." She realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth and winced._

_"I am your Prince. You would be wise to remember _that_," Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her. _

_"Am I dismissed, sire?"_

_Vegeta let her arm go and started walking away. He glanced once over his shoulder and called, "You should know that I always get what I want in the end."_

But in the end, she had eluded both Vegeta and Cauli.  She had other suitors as well, most of which Kakkarot had scared away. She didn't like the thought of being protected, but she hated the thought of mating at fifteen and being a mother at sixteen.  Males had outnumbered the females on Vegeta at a three to one ratio and the demand to repopulate was always a top priority, especially in tense and uncertain times as this.  But by now, she was _sure_ the prince and his cabinet member had found hordes of other willing females on this planet.  Vegeta's presence was sparse and Cauli was practically nonexistent in her life, and she thought of nothing but her good fortune until she found out news that would change her life.

The day before this, a royal guard that had taken a liking to Basil and her parents informed their family that the cabinet was preparing to put her parents on trail for high treason.  King Vegeta had been convinced that they had something to do with the sabotage and treachery that was currently plaguing the king and his Intelligence.   They were practically Vegeta-sei's top scientists, and Basil knew that her parents were working their hardest to locate Frieza.  She clutched her fists to her sides and lowered her head.  Not only did she believe that Cauli had something to do with this, she also had her suspicions about his own loyalty.  Kakkarot had mentioned that his father distrusted the young elite, knowing full well that he believed his king to be incompetent.  For all Basil knew, it was _Cauli_ that was sabotaging the mission, that fucking prick, in order to get the people to revolt against the king.  

She thought for a moment that the prince may have had a hand his this treason business, but dismissed it quickly.  Vegeta was incapable of caring about anything but training, and putting her parents through this because if he wanted to hurt her would have taken too much effort on his part.  If he wanted to hurt her, he certainly could have done in a much less subtle fashion.   No…  this reeked of Cauli's style: sneaky, underhanded, and thoroughly twisted. She had rejected him, and now her parents would pay the ultimate price. 

Basil brought this to her parent's attention the night before the scheduled trial, crying hysterically how it was her fault because she was too proud to be tamed by the older man. They comforted her, assuring her it was in no way her fault, and they had already worked out a way to protect Basil from all of this nonsense.

They had secretly assembled a space pod and they were sending her away, far across the galaxy, to the some planet named _Earth_.

Ten years ago there would have been nothing unusual about sending a child off the planet, but for "protection of the Saiyajin race", no warrior was permitted to enter or leave Vegeta-sei without proper authorization. This was a delicate operation, because if she was caught, she would most likely be executed. Basil fought with her parents to let her stay on Vegeta-sei, no matter what the outcome was. Her mother's answer was plain and simple.

I have already lost one child. I'll never rest in peace if I knew I didn't do everything I could to protect the other.

Basil sighed as she looked up at her young friend, Kakkarot.   They stood silently in her quarters, her facing her bed and he facing her back.  She could not look at him, knowing that if she did, she would mostly likely break down and cry.  Her parents were being tried in less than three hours, and her scheduled departure from Vegeta-sei was nearing closer by the minute.  Of all the people on this cursed planet, besides her parents, she would miss him the most.  He was her first friend, her savior, and she loved him fully and painfully.   She trusted him with her life, and so, she had stolen him from the prince and forced him to come here, where she had told him everything.  

"Are you really leaving, Basil?"

"Pretty much," Basil tried to sound nonchalant. "To a planet called Earth," she pronounced it the way it was spelled.  E-_ar_-th. "It'll probably be _really_ boring there."

"Forever?" Kakkarot's dark eyes misted over slightly. "Don't say forever!"

Basil smiled slightly at the younger boy. "Then I won't." She raised herself on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

Kakkarot pressed his hand to his cheek in shock, a light blushed painting his cheek. "I'm never going to see you again... am I? You're going away forever and leaving me!" Kakkarot turned away angrily. "You're leaving me, just like my mother left us. I hate you!" He turned back to her, unable to stop the tears streaking down his cheeks. "I didn't mean that," he said instantly, throwing his arms around the smaller girl. "I know you have to go because of what they're going to do to your parents."

Basil looked surprised. "How did you...?"

"I heard my father talking with the king. Part of me wants you to go, so you can live and be happy. But the selfish part of me wants you to stay... with me," he looked bashful.

She smiled at the awkwardness of his words. "I'll never forget you. Ever. You're my best friend in the entire world." 

Kakkarot gazed at his friend, her long dark hair blowing gently in the wind, her ebony colored eyes sparkling as the sun kissed the horizon. The only person who had ever understand him, the real him, the Kakkarot who liked to fight but really just wanted to be a kid.  The Kakkarot who didn't always have to wear an ice-cold mask to be accepted; the Kakkarot who wanted to love and be loved. The only person who ever really cared. 

"We'll see each other again someday, won't we, Basil?"

Basil choked back a sob at her young friend's innocent question. "Of course," she lied, knowing deep down she could never again return to this planet. "Can't keep me away for long, Kakkarot." _Be happy Kakkarot. I hope someday you can find someone who will care for you the way you deserve._  "Keep Prince Vegeta out of trouble."

"I'll see you soon, Basil."

But he knew, deep inside of his heart, he would never see her again.

---

Destiny: _a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency_.  Destiny is a concept that has puzzled some of the greatest minds of our time. One simple question has reared some of the biggest fights between philosophers. Does destiny exist? If so, do we have the power to change ours? If not, do we shape our own destiny?

There are many non-believers of destiny, because most people like to feel that their will is the only thing that can change the outcome of their life.  They _know_ they can change their own _fate_. A woman spills her coffee on her pants during breakfast and misses her bus. The same bus she would have taken if she had been on time swerves out of control killing almost everyone on the bus. Why hadn't the woman been killed? Pure luck, they think, what else?

Some people believe there are no such things as coincidences, only the inevitable. The same woman spills her coffee on her pants during breakfast and misses the same bus. The _same_ bus she would have taken if she had been on time swerves out of control killing almost everyone on the bus. Why hadn't the woman been killed? Destiny. It was her _destiny_ not to be killed, these people would say. She would one day save a child from a burning building, and that child would become president and help the world. THAT was her destiny.

Both sides of the argument are plausible in some way, so why are people so uncomfortable with of the idea of destiny? It's because people are afraid of things that aren't tangible. You can't touch destiny, you can't taste destiny, you can't smell destiny; ergo, there is no such thing.  But make no mistake of it; Destiny, in all of her glory, does, in fact, exist.  She lives high above us, watching.  Waiting.  Ensuring our departure from point A and our arrival at point B.  However, Destiny can only ensure us of this arrival; the journey is out of her capable hands.

And that is where this story begins: at the beginning of a journey.

Time fell like dominos.

But Destiny does not fall.

---

From **Chapter 1:  Stay**  

The floor began to shake violently and there was a flash of blinding light as Hercule dropped to the ground, his hands over his head. As soon as the shaking stopped, he ran to his backyard, his mouth dropping open, almost hitting the ground as he saw what exactly had crashed in his backyard.

 "A SPACESHIP?!" Hercule ran towards the ship that was half imbedded in the ground, crushing his mother's beloved rose bushes. Oh.  Oh DEAR.  The spaceship was small in size, with silver windows and shaped like a pod right out of science fiction movies.  It was so small, in fact, that unless the aliens were tiny, Hercule doubted it could contain more than one or two people, at most.  _Well at least it isn't an alien invasion or anything._

_ "Mother is going to have _kittens_ when she sees this!" he exclaimed outloud, mournfully.  "I am SO dead!" He approached the ship cautiously, examining and poking at the panels near what he assumed was the front of the ship. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as the door suddenly opened and stairs began to fold out neatly. "Alright, whoever or whatever you are. I am trained in the martial arts and if you try anything funny I'll kick your as ----"  _

Before he could finish his sentence,  a young teenage girl, with long dark hair  and wearing a spandex outfit circa Power Rangers stumbled out.  His eyes widened to twice their diameter in surprise (it reminded him of a joke that he'd recently heard in school, about the organ that expands to six times its size under certain conditions -- the pupil of the eye -- and an optimistic co-ed who thought otherwise that was in for severe future disappointment),  and if possible, his eyes widened even further as her eyes rolled to the back of head as she fainted right in his arms.

Hercule's eye twitched dangerously. "Now I _know_ I'm going to be late for school today."

---


	2. Chapter 1: Stay

**Chapter 1:  Stay**__

_I thought I'd live forever  
but now I'm not so sure  
You try to tell that I'm clever   
But that won't take me anyhow or anywhere with you  
You said that I was naïve and  
I thought that I was strong  
I thought, "Hey, I can leave, I can leave."  
But now I know that I was wrong.  
  
_

_------_

**749 AD, Earth**

The rather annoying sounds of his patented soothing nature sounds alarm clock brought Satan Hercule back to the land of the living. Sure, waking up to the sound of rain was nice at first, but he quickly found it had rather adverse effects on his bladder. The sounds of the forest and animals were cute at first as well, but as soon as he awoke to the sound of ducks fighting (this really made him wonder: were there even ducks in the rain forest?), he knew it was time for it to go. His mother wouldn't allow such a thing because his aunt had bought it for Christmas and his mother's word was as good as any religious writing, so, in the end, he opted to wake up to the sounds of wild monkeys before mating.  "It really _is_ a beautiful thing," his mother had said, avoiding the subject magnificently when he suggested that she buy one for herself.

He groaned as he attempted to smash the clock with his fist, hitting only the bare wood of his dresser.   As he shook his fist in pain, he glanced over where the sound was coming from, clear across the room.  Oh.  Now he remembered.  He had put it on the dresser farthest from the bed to prevent another unfortunate smashing. 

Hercule stretched lazily, rolling over onto his back as the morning sun hit his face. He sat up in bed, running a hand through his curly dark hair and wiping the sleepiness out of his dark blue eyes. He quickly hopped out of bed, doing a few simple stretches to get ready for the day.  After a quick shower and a futile attempt to tame his wild hair, he slipped a pair of khaki pants on and pulled a black button down shirt over his head.  After a look in the mirror, he picked up his school bag and got ready to face the day.

Not, he thought, closing his door behind him, that it would be any different from yesterday.  Same shit, different day, his friends were fond of saying.

Nodding hello to one of the maids, he made his way down the impressive marble staircase that led to the main floor. He swore as he bumped into a gold plated statue of Venus, the goddess of love, and looked to make sure no one was around before tapping a picture of his parents, forcing it somewhat askance on the otherwise perfect wall. 

"Good morning, young master," the butler, Charles, greeted him stiffly, turning the picture back to its original position. "Your parents called to say that they were terribly sorry that they are going to miss your birthday, but they promise to get you a present from France. Perhaps a replica of the Eiffel Tower made entirely out of bleu cheese," he offered with a completely straight face.

Hercule rolled his eyes. Typical. While his parents were off on another vacation, he was stuck all alone. On his _birthday_. "I'll be waiting with baited breath," he muttered as he picked up a piece of toast from the kitchen. 

"I know I am to be leaving on my trip back home," Charles looked at Hercule in sympathy as he picked up his small luggage, "but I can postpone the journey until your parents come back—"

Hercule shook his head forcefully. "You're always postponing your trips for me. Go see your family, Chuck."

Charles winced. "I do wish you wouldn't call me that, young master." He walked to the front door, looking back once more before he left. "Happy birthday, sir. Don't forget to look in the top drawer in the kitchen before you leave for school." He let himself out, closing the door gently.

Hercule blinked.  In the drawer, he was surprised to find a beautifully wrapped parcel with a card attached. He quickly ripped the card off, finding the staff had all signed it. He unwrapped it and stared at it in awe. It was a picture -- not one of those million dollar paintings of dogs playing cards his mother liked to put in the bathroom, or picture that a famous painter had done -- but a simple photograph taken seven years prior on a family trip to the beach house.  He and his parents were both smiling and waving widely, and it instantly brought a smile to the young man's face. 

Hercule skipped to put his picture on the grand piano in his living room, lost in thoughts of his not so perfect, perfect parents. Fortunately, he was broken out of them by the vibrating ground and what sounded like an airplane exploding reach his ears. The floor began to shake violently and there was a flash of blinding light as Hercule dropped to the ground, his hands over his head. As soon as the shaking stopped, he ran to his backyard, his mouth dropping open as he saw what exactly had crashed in his backyard.

"A SPACESHIP?!" Hercule ran towards the ship that was half imbedded in the ground, crushing his mother's beloved rose bushes. Oh. Oh DEAR. The spaceship was small in size, with silver windows and shaped like a pod right out of science fiction movies. It was so small, in fact, that unless the aliens were tiny, Hercule doubted it could contain more than one or two people, at most. _Well at least it isn't an alien invasion or anything._

"Mother is going to have _kittens_ when she sees this!" he exclaimed out loud, mournfully. "I am SO dead!" He approached the ship cautiously, examining and poking at the panels near what he assumed was the front of the ship. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as the door suddenly opened and stairs began to fold out neatly. "Alright, whoever or whatever you are. I am trained in the martial arts and if you try anything funny I'll kick your as ----" 

Before he could finish his sentence,  young teenage girl with long dark hair and wearing a spandex outfit circa Power Rangers stumbled out. His eyes widened to twice their diameter in surprise (it reminded him of a joke that he'd recently heard in school, about the organ that expands to six times its size under certain conditions -- the pupil of the eye -- and an optimistic co-ed who thought otherwise that was in for severe future disappointment), and if possible, his eyes widened even further as her eyes rolled to the back of head as she fainted right in his arms.

Hercule's eye twitched dangerously. "Now I _know_ I'm going to be late for school today."

----

Basil awoke to the feeling of a wet cloth being placed gently on her forehead. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to focus in on her savior's face. He was handsome, she noted, with curly black hair and bright blue eyes that were currently looking very worried. He had a healthy tan complexion and looked physically fit. _For a human, that is, _she amended. He helped her sit up slowly, resting her back on comfortable pillows. She looked down at herself and found she was wearing different clothing. Instead of her Sayajin armor, she was wearing an oversized black shirt and cotton pants. Basil looked at the teenager curiously.

"I didn't change you or anything," he said nervously, scratching the back of his head, a blush covering his face. "The maid did. You were out for about nine hours. You took some fall," he gestured to her bandaged forehead. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm curious to know why you landed in my backyard."

Basil tensed, a drop of sweat running down her forehead. She couldn't just _tell him she was an outlaw alien who had come to earth to escape prosecution. He wouldn't possibly understand. He would think she was weird and for some reason, she felt the dire need to be accepted by this kind human who had taken care of her. "I—I don't know," she whispered. _

Hercule nodded as he went to roll up the sleeve of her shirt. She winced noticeably. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," he soothed in his most gentle voice, "I'm just going to put a bandage on your wound, okay? Scouts honor," he joked, holding up three fingers. _No need to tell her you_ _were_ _kicked out of the boy scouts_. She hesitated, but soon relaxed and sat back as the polite human boy sprayed something that stung slightly on her right forearm. He wrapped the offending wound, an infinite look of tenderness in his eyes. "What's your name?" 

"Basil," she replied, holding out her left hand to be bandaged. 

"That's a pretty name. How about a surname? Where were you born? Do you have parents? Do they know you're here? Are you from earth?" Hercule shot off one question after another, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.

"I don't know," she stared at the expensive white carpeting, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't know. I don't—I don't—"  She put her right hand over her mouth to cover up a sob. The trip had not only taken a toll on her physically, but emotionally. She was alone on a strange planet, with no friends or family. Basil couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking violently as more sobs escaped her mouth. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt a warm hand brush the tears from her eyes.

Hercule left his hand on her cheek, giving her a comforting smile. "It's okay," he wiped her left cheek and continued to wrap her wounds. "You can stay with me for as long as you need to. I won't send you away."

_Send you… away… The words echoed in Basil's mind. But that's exactly was happened to her, wasn't it? This boy, whose house she had crash landed next to, that she had only met hours before, was treating her better then most of the people on Vegeta-sei had treated her and she had known them for years. "What are you called?" she asked somewhat awkwardly. She felt a rush of gratitude for her parents who had implanted a universal translator in her before she left. _

"My name is Hercule Satan," the young man replied. "I'm fifteen years old."

"I think… I am as well," Basil knew it was safe to offer this information. "You don't even know me, and you're saying that it is possible for me to live here?" she asked suspiciously.

Hercule shrugged, closing the first-aid kit. "Call it compassion for a fellow orphan," he half-joked. "My parents are always off on one vacation or another, so they probably won't even notice another person living here. You don't exactly look as though you have a lot of money to spend and you can't even remember your last name. It would be inhuman of me to send out into the world like that. I'll inform Chuck that you'll be staying with us. He'll probably want to enroll you in school as soon as possible."

"School?" Basil blinked. 

"You know, a more civil form of prison," he said dryly. He did a double take at the distressed look on her face. "That was a joke, Basil. School is a place to be judged by your peers, learn needlessly and eat horrible food."

"I… I see." That sure sounded like prison to her.

"This will be your room," Hercule gestured to the large white and yellow room they were currently sitting in. He stood up, brushing himself off. "If you need anything, my room is right next door. If there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask me or the maids." He shrugged mentally at her dazed expression as he headed for the door. He slowly turned the handle, not really wanting to part with the raven haired girl, but knowing she had much to think about. "Goodnight, Basil. Sleep well."

Basil turned over in the large bed, a sense of warmth and happiness washing over her. She hoped, prayed, and wished that whatever would happen in her future, this young man would be a part of it. As soon as she closed her eyes, sleep enveloped her. She would dream about her friends, her home, but most of all, the kind young man who had given her a second chance to live.

_I will._

---

**749 AD, Vegeta**

Cauli was angry. No, to say that he was angry was an understatement. He was _irritated that his plans had fallen through. He was thoroughly _vexed_ at the fact that he made himself look like a bigger idiot in front of the king, who couldn't believe a warrior of Cauli's stature let a little girl escape. He was very _displeased_ and __cross at the idea of Basil being somewhere in the galaxy. Most of all, he was __pissed off at the _infuriatingly_ cutesy, knowing smile that Kakkarot wore. He couldn't touch Kakkarot, considering he was the son of Bardock, King Vegeta's most trusted advisor. But how he wished he could blow that goofy smile right off his face permanently…_

"… don't really care at this point. There has been no trace of her anywhere in the entire galaxy. We have a lot of planning to do and you're worrying about some girl who wouldn't sleep with you?" King Vegeta berated Cauli.

Cauli's face turned purple. "That's not the point, sire. She has escaped the planet and she is a security risk!  There are thousands of planets just waiting to get their hands on information about our strengths and weaknesses --"

Prince Vegeta rolled his dark eyes, his perpetual smirk plastered across his face. "I doubt she'd be crafty enough to concoct a plan like that. I think she just wanted to be rid of you, Cauli. Not that I blame her, of course," the teenage prince lamented. Cauli bit back a remark about the Prince's inability to mate with Basil, but knew he would only be digging his own grave. 

"Alright," the king sighed. "Our scientists will monitor the galaxy for her power signal, and we'll send two warriors to comb the quadrant. As if I didn't have enough to deal with on _this_ planet."  He sighed again.  "I think I shall send Bardock's first son.  I need to get that crazy boy out of my hair for awhile. After that whole chocolate pudding incident…" 

The good-natured king shook his head, fighting to keep from smiling. Ah, the infamous chocolate pudding incident. Poor Nappa was still in recovery. He still trembled every time someone even mentioned the chocolaty dessert. "Satisfied?" King Vegeta asked Cauli.

"Very."

And indeed, he was.

It wasn't long after that the smallest power signal showed up on their computer coming straight from a planet called Earth. Bardock's first son, Radditz, was sent along with Prince Vegeta's advisor Nappa, to make sure Radditz didn't get himself killed. 

"Don't look so down, Nappa!" Radditz slapped the bald warrior on the back heartily. "We'll go out, scope the earth, maybe pick up a few cute earth girls, have some foreign liquor… it might be fun. God knows you could a little fun in your life."

Nappa grunted, stepping into the pod. "The faster we do this, the faster I can get away from you."

"Aww, Nappa. I never knew you felt so strongly about me," Radditz pushed his long spiky hair over his shoulder. "You don't have to hide how you really feel about me. Don't worry," he patted Nappa's shoulder. "I won't tell a soul about that time you got so drunk you thought I was Kale, that cute little nurse.  And then when I opened the chocolate pudding—"

"I TOLD YOU TO NEVER TALK ABOUT THAT!" Nappa put his hands around the younger Saiyajin's neck, pushing him into the pod at the same time. "You little—"

Prince Vegeta rolled his eyes once more, muttering under his breath about the incompetence of his soldiers. The King couldn't help but agree with his son. "We'll see you in a week," the King closed the door of the ship after his son kicked Nappa in after Radditz. "If we're lucky, maybe a month."

"Or a year," Prince Vegeta added helpfully.

"Maybe they'll _never_ come back."

Prince Vegeta sighed, closing his eyes. "That's too much to hope for, isn't it father?"

"Way too much to hope for, I'm afraid."

Prince Vegeta opened his eyes, looking thoughtful. "Maybe they'll kill each other."

King Vegeta patted his son on the shoulder as he watched the ship take off, Radditz and Nappa still arguing inside. "It's the only thing that helps me sleep at night."

---

**749 AD, Earth**

There had always been something mythical, or even majestic about the people who inhabited Mount Fry Pan. Even the location was infamous in its own way, for it had once been a mountain that was set completely on fire. The Ox King, a king who had killed anyone who had tried to steal his treasure, had hired a sorcerer to set his castle aflame to make sure no one could enter. Unfortunately, without realizing it, he let the sorcerer set the castle on fire before he and his daughter, the princess, could enter. This left the Ox King and his beloved daughter living in two small tents on the perimeter of the mountain. 

After two weeks of these living conditions, he called upon his old master, the crafty and perverted Muten Roshi to help put out the flames.  Roshi did so, but the powerful _ki move, the __Kamehameha, that he launched at the flames destroyed the castle along with the fire. Eventually the king and princess relocated themselves to another, less flammable mountain called Paozu, where they intended to live out their days in peace and happiness._

Now, it just so happened that the Princess was very strong for a human girl, having been trained by both her father and Muten Roshi.  She was a formidable opponent, winning tournaments and striking down thieves and bandits that threatened her or her father.   Nature had also blessed her with fair skin and dark hair, making her one of the fiercest beauties ever to roam the lands.  It was said that only a man who could best in her competition to win her heart, and she was never lacking in opponents.   One after another they would fall in defeat, proclaiming nonetheless that the fire in her dark eyes was unmatched, her spirit unparalleled.  They would have her, or they would die.

None of them did, of course, because the princess had a good heart and refused to have anyone die by her hand.  But some of them came close.

However, none of this has anything to do with this story.  What really matters here is that with her dark hair and eyes and immense power, the princess bore more than a slight resemblance to the renegade Basil. 

And _that_ is where the trouble began.

The warrior known as Radditz was known to most of Vegeta-sei as a troublemaker, a partier, and somewhat of a playboy. He was different then most Saiyajins with his casual way of walking, talking, and acting. He wasn't irresponsible; he just liked to have a good time (or so he tried to convince people). The crux of the problem was that he was so charming, so sincere, that people were inclined to believe whatever he said. He was so convincing, his younger brother swore he could probably sell a freezer to the Icejins. 

Well, needless to say, it didn't take all that much convincing for Radditz to get Nappa totally and completely drunk, though Nappa was the weariest of Radditz of all.  But Radditz figured they still had six days to pick up the little brat, so why not enjoy the first night?

And so the second night came. More drinking ensued.

The third night came. It was spent the same way as the first two nights were.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth nights came and went. We all know how they were spent.

Finally, on the seventh night, Radditz realized how completely and utterly screwed they were going to be if they didn't bring this girl home. Even with slight hangovers (The Saiyajins though Earth liquor was excellent, by the way) and impaired motor movements, Radditz figured the girl couldn't give them that much trouble.  After pulling Nappa out of a local bar before he could blast anyone for comparing him with some wrestler that he was a dead ringer for, Radditz managed to hone in on a slight power signal. Figuring it was the best lead they had all day and they were seriously toasted beyond belief, they had no choice but to follow it. 

"Is that her?" Radditz whispered as he crouched behind a bush next to Nappa. They spotted a small girl with long black hair tied back into a pony tail. It was dark, so they couldn't make out her features exactly, but her build was about right. 

"Her power is awfully low," said Nappy uncertainly.

"She's hiding!" reasoned Radditz.  "Of course she's suppressing her ki."

"And where's her tail?" Nappa grunted.

Radditz shrugged. "She probably cut it off. Earthlings don't have tails, you know."

"I know that, you MORON!" Nappa hissed venomously. "But I just want to make sure we have the right girl. Do you know how mad King Vegeta would be if we picked up some earthling? He'd _final flash us into next week, and that's if he's in a good mood! So you better be damn sure that this is her!"_

Radditz waved his hand carelessly. "Look, I'm sure this is the girl. So here's the plan. I'll grab her—"

"No, you listen to ME. I will not go through with whatever half assed, crack pot plan you've cooked up in that demented head of yours. I'll grab the girl and all you have to do is open the door to the pod. THAT'S ALL. No funny distractions, no peculiar noises and/or imitations, no chocolate pudding, NO NOTHING. Just OPEN. THE. DOOR. AND THAT'S IT! Do I make myself CLEAR?!" 

Radditz pouted. "You're so boring. So all I have to do is open the door?"

"That's right."

"But I always could—"

"No."

"And then we—"

"NO."

"But I have that spare costume—"

"ABOSLUTELY NOT!"

"SHH!" Radditz grabbed Nappa as the girl turned toward the bushes. She walked cautiously towards them, peering in curiously. "You're going to blow out cover with your loud mouth!"

"What's the matter, dear?" A low voice boomed from inside the castle. 

The girl squinted suspiciously at the bush, which was currently staying perfectly still. "Nothing, Dad, I just heard an animal or something in the bushes." The girl continued to look at the bush, convinced something was not right with it. 

"On the count of three," Nappa whispered as the girl went back to garden. "You make a run for the space ship. Got it? One…"

"On three or after three?" Radditz pondered as he positioned himself towards the ship that was hidden beneath a large and lush tree. "Oh well… two… THREE!" he cried breaking into a run as he heard Nappa swear and trip over a rock before running towards the unsuspecting girl. The girl immediately broke into a martial arts stance, but to no avail. Nappa picked her up with ease, trying to ignore her incessant kicking and screaming. He put his hand over her mouth, also trying to ignore the fact her teeth were imbedded in it. 

"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR, YOU FOOL!" Nappa growled as Radditz crossed his arms and whistled, seemingly forgetting his only job. "Can't you do one simple thing right? I asked you to have the door open, not perform brain surgery," Nappa threw the angry female into the ship, ignoring the humongous man wearing a Viking helmet, that was currently charging at full speed towards the ship.

"Maybe we should leave our witty banter for later? I think it's time to go," Radditz announced as he hit the launch button, but not before giving the large man the victory sign. "I wonder who that guy was. She called him daddy, but that was NOT her father."

Nappa shrugged as he tied a white cloth over the young girl's mouth, wincing as she bit his hand. Hard. "God only knows what the girl got into on earth. Strange planet," he commented as he sat back in a chair, wiping his bald head. "That was relatively painless." He closed his eyes, ignoring the squirming girl and his throbbing hand. "Those chains you brought from home really worked. She isn't putting up that much of a fight. But what do you use them for; I mean you couldn't possibly have to tie people up… all the time…" Nappa winced at the lecherous smile that graced the younger Saiyajin's face. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Oh Naaaaaaaapa," Radditz drawled, holding up a pair of fuzzy handcuffs and leather whip, "wanna see some of the souvenirs I picked up on planet Earth?"

---

**749 AD, Vegeta**

It seemed as if the whole court had prepared for their arrival.  From the window of the pod, Radditz could see his younger brother, looking very nervous and eager, as he waited alongside the rest of the welcoming crew. While Prince Vegeta looked highly amused and King Vegeta looked as though he had a terrible headache, Cauli looked as if his birthday had come early.  He was hungry, Radditz thought as the pod was anchored in a landing dock, for vengeance.

He shivered.  It scared the crap out of him.  But the pod's systems were shutting down, and he didn't have time to think about Cauli.  

"We're baaaaaaaaaack!" he exclaimed, jumping off the boarding platform. "After a week of careful planning," _Boozing and getting chicks, _he amended silently, "and a perfect persecution, we have your girl. Nappa, bring her out," Radditz commanded, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. Nappa pulled out the young girl and set her down none-too-gently. Radditz continued to smile.  _Call me a screw up, will they? Well look who finally did something right!_

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Prince Vegeta crossed his arms of his chest. "Because I don't find this very amusing. You've had your fun, Radditz. Bring out the real girl. Now."

Radditz and Nappa exchanged a look of confusion. "But your highness, this _is the real girl."_

"Umm… Radditz," Kakkarot started, taking a step towards the half hysterical girl. "That isn't Basil. This girl isn't even a Saiyajin."

There was a rather strained silence as the warriors took it all in.  Kakkarot looked very confused; Prince Vegeta was torn between laughing and screaming, Nappa and Radditz were giving each other unbelieving looks and Cauli's face turned from white, to red to a deep violet. 

"WHAT, WERE YOU TWO DRUNK OR SOMETHING?!" Cauli ignored the guilty looks on their faces. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BRINGING—OF ALL THE STUPIDTY—I ABSOULTELY CANNOT BELIEVE -- !!!" Cauli was so angry, he couldn't even complete a simple sentence.

"Well, she does _kind_ of look like Basil," Kakkarot cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes, "if you look at her like this!"

"Yes," Prince Vegeta drawled, "if you don't have any eyes, Kakkarot. Honestly, Nappa, Radditz. Did you go in the dead of night or something?" His dark eyes widened as he caught the way Nappa's eyes shifted to the ground. "You _DID, didn't you? The inanity is overwhelming."_

King Vegeta stared at the two warriors. They really HAD brought back the wrong girl. They had been completely and utterly wasted when they went, when it was pitch black outside, just to kidnap the wrong girl. To everyone's surprise, the king howled with laughter. 

"F-father?" Prince Vegeta asked, slightly afraid of his father. He could take Serious King Vegeta and could even tolerate Angry King Vegeta, but a Laughing King Vegeta was just scary. Laughing King Vegeta meant a few years would be taken off some lives. Presumably his.__

The King tried to control himself when he looked at the furious expression Cauli had on his face, but that only seemed to amuse the King even more. After a few more minutes of hysterical laughter, the King collected himself and faced his men. "It's not so terrible," the King wiped his eyes, returning to Serious King Vegeta. "We'll just retire for the night and bring the girl back tomorrow. Speaking of which, someone untie the poor dear."

Kakkarot pulled off her gag. She started screaming obscenities that made even Radditz wince.

"That's not true," Radditz injected helpfully as the earth girl continued to scream her lungs out until a tint of blue came over her fair cheeks. "I've met Nappa's mother. She's really not _so_ bad once you get past the—no, you're right. Please continue." He smiled toothily as Nappa glared at him.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?! HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP ME AND BRING ME TO SOME PLANET?! YOU SON OF A—" Kakkarot quickly tied the gag back on, giving everyone a sunny smile that resembled his older brother's.

"Take the gag off, Kakkarot," the King demanded. After a slight hesitation, the young boy removed the gag, preparing himself for the pain to come to his sensitive ears. Surprisingly, it never came.

King Vegeta walked over to the girl, untying the chains that held her in her chair. "What's your name?"

The girl glared at the king, fire burning in her ebony eyes. "My name is Chi-Chi."

And so it had begun.

---

**749 AD, Earth**

Hercule glanced to his side, watching Basil carefully. She looked pretty enough, he thought, but she also seemed somewhat uncomfortable in her new clothes. She looked as though she had trouble walked correctly in her new jeans, and she picked incessantly at her sweater. At every crosswalk she bounced slightly up and down to test her new sneakers and was constantly poking at the buttons that were on her wool coat. 

She pushed her waist length hair over her shoulder, giving Hercule a tentative smile._ I_ _can't give myself away. Must these clothes be so… constricting? And so goddamn ITCHY?!_

She resembled a newborn baby seeing the world for the first time. _Who knows, he mused as he guided his new friend on their way to school, _this really might be her first time seeing the world. Or remembering it anyway.  Better make it interesting. _"This is where most of the kids from school hang out," he pointed to a small café on the corner of the block. "And that's the field that the sports clubs practice on. I'm on the football team myself."_

Basil blinked up at him. "Football?"

"You've never heard of football?! What were you living in outer space or something?" Hercule couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not knowing what football was? Blasphemy! 

Basil giggled nervously, averting her eyes from the teenager. "Don't—don't be silly. I—I'm just not big on physical activities other then training," Basil prayed she had said the right thing. It sounded right. Was it her fault this "football" wasn't translated from her own language? No one did this "football" thing on Vegeta-sei. They trained. And ate. And trained some more. Sometimes punctuated with eating. And occasional training. _Okay, I'm being silly. I can't forget playing in the forest, swimming in the lakes, and all the fun ways to avoid Prince Vegeta and Cauli._

"Hey, Satan," A tall boy with silvery blond hair and very wide shoulders slapped Hercule's hand. "Who is this lovely lady? Don't be rude now, introduce us!"

"Yeah," a small, lithe boy with light brown hair piped up as he slung his arm around Hercule. "Don't hold out on us, bro!"

Basil rolled her eyes. _Men on any planet are all the same. Arrogant perverts. _

"This is Basil..." _Shit… what did I say her last name was again on her "records"? Umm.. um…  _"Basil Seraph. She's crashing at my house for awhile. Basil, this is Tsuruki Shuji," he gestured towards the tall blond, "also known as Shu. This is Tabito Sokimoto, also known as Sok."

_Seraph? That's right. That's what Hercule told me to put on that examination yesterday, Basil thought. _I guess it sounds kind of pretty… I couldn't exactly say that there are no such things as surnames on my home planet. Not a good way to make friends, that's for sure.__

"What school are you transferring from, Miss Seraph?" Shu asked amicably as they walked up the stairs to the large school building. 

"Just Basil is fine…" Basil's pasted on smile faulted. "Umm… What school I came from? Um… That's a good question…"

"She was home schooled," Hercule grabbed Basil's shoulders and pushed her in the direction of the principal's office. "She needs to be signed in. Tell Takijo-sensei we'll be right there." Hercule gave a sigh of relief. "Well, that wasn't so bad. Now, let's get you signed up for school. I had Chuck call last night so they won't ask for a birth certificate or identification. That's the one good thing about being a well known family," Hercule rolled his eyes, "they believe everything you say. If they don't, they don't get any money for the new bathrooms and whatnot," Hercule patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about people asking too many questions. We told them you were an orphan who came from a far away place up north to live with us. 

_That isn't… too far from the truth actually, Basil laughed nervously. _

After helping Basil sign up for her classes (he had put on a rather emotional scene before the scheduling office agreed to let her have all the same classes as he did), they walked to first period. Hercule ran to his seat after being the receiving end of Tajiko-sensei's scathing look, giving an apologetic look to Basil who was standing in front of the room. "Look class, we have a student who actually knows how to read. This is Basil Seraph. She received almost perfect scores on her entrance exams in chemistry, math, and English. You could learn a few things from her." 

"Hi," Basil said nonchalantly. "Nice to meet you."

There were murmurs and whispering among the class. "You can sit wherever you want, dear," the small blond woman offered. Basil immediately sat down next to Hercule, laying her books on the table. She tried to ignore the whispers, cursing her Saiyajin hearing.

"She's cute."

"Wow, perfect scores? Amazing!"

"Stop staring at her! You're my boyfriend!"

"I wonder if she'll go out with me."

"She's not stupid, you know."

"I don't think she looks all that great."

"Now," Tajiko-sensei flipped through her textbook. "Will someone please read the first paragraph on page forty-five for me please?" she asked in English.

"Hey, perfect test score girl," a girl with long blond hair poked Basil in the side, making her stand up in surprise. "Show us how good you read."

"Very nice,  volunteering on the first day of class. You delinquents could take a few pages from Miss Seraph's book. "Not, that you couldn't be just as smart as her if you just studied a little harder, you little _darlings_." 

A burly dark haired boy smirked. "I'd do more then take a few pages from her book!" The class burst out in laughter as Basil turned an interesting shade of red and Hercule gave the offending boy a death glare.

"You're an insult to the public school system!" Tajiko-sensei snapped. "Now please read the first paragraph, Seraph-san." Her voice went from a raging maniac to Mary Sunshine in two point three seconds.

_Scary… split personalities maybe? _Basil flipped to page forty-five, bracing herself before opening her mouth to read. "It was such a beautiful day that my friend and I went swimming at the beach. We saw her father, who bought us ice cream. After that, we went back to her house where her mother made dinner. Soon after, it became late and it was time for me to go home."

"Excellent! Notice Miss Seraph's pronunciation of the letter 's' and the 'th' sound…" the sensei droned on.

Hercule gave Basil the victory sign. "See? You survived. I knew you would."

Basil sighed. High school was going to be harder then any war, she could tell already. She might had preferred getting blown up to having to listen to this woman drone on and on about the many pronunciations of the letter "a" in the English language. The bell rang and Basil looked at Hercule in alarm. "It's okay," he said soothingly. "It just means we have to go to our next class, which is gym. We'll probably be playing kickball."

"Do you know how to play kickball?" Shu asked, jogging up next to them.

Basil looked at the tall blond evenly. "I assume it involves kicking a ball of some sort?"

"Technically, yes," Sok offered as Hercule tried to cough to cover up his snicker. "But there are some rules. I'm sure you'll catch on quickly, Basil."

The gym teacher was a young, dark haired very muscular man, who wasted no time splitting up the class. Making Hercule and Shu captains (they were the two best athletes in the whole school and it wouldn't be fair if they were on the same team) they quickly picked the people to be on their teams. Hercule stuck his tongue out at Shu who picked Basil before he could.

"Alright, Basil. Go into left field. Do you know where that is?" Shu asked placing a cap on her head.

"On the left?" Basil asked innocently. "Humans are weird creatures," she decided taking her place. "This is how they spend time? Odd. I guess it looks like it could be fun, if I knew what I was doing. I think I'm supposed to catch the big, red ball and throw it to one of the players that are standing on the bases. Okay, seems simple enough."

Shu crouched down and threw the red ball underhanded to the same blond girl from this morning who had volunteered Basil to read. "Get ready, Jolt," Kiyoko "Jolt" Raizen gave her cousin a smirk right before kicking the ball as hard as she could. 

"Oh, it's high," Basil mused as she jumped about twenty feet in the air to catch the ball. Staying in the air, she planned her next move carefully. "Let's see, if I throw this to the home plate, the other team can't score a run. Okay, nice and slow," she threw the ball as slowly as she could. The catcher caught the ball, but the sheer force behind it made him crash right into the bench behind him.

Coach Fujiko blinked rapidly as Basil jogged back to her place to take her place at the plate. "Seraph, that was an amazing catch! You must have jumped twenty feet in the air!"

Basil gulped, trying to ignore the looks she was getting from her classmates. "Thanks, but it was um… beginner's luck. I just got new shoes and… uh... yeah. It was the new shoes Coach." She stepped behind the plate, her face burning. _Uh oh, that was a bit close. I better just not do anything when this girl throws the ball._

Jolt smirked, winding up for the pitch. _I'll throw it right at her and then little Miss Perfect will duck like a little baby. _Jolt threw the ball as hard as she could right at Basil's face, but to her surprise Basil just stood there, blinking and standing in the same position as she was in before. "WHY DIDN'T YOU DUCK!?"

Basil turned to her speechless coach, her dark eyes puzzled. "Hey, if I got hit with the ball, what do I do?"

  
"W-walk to first base," the coach said, rubbing his eyes. 

Hercule, along with the rest of the student body, stared at her open-mouthed as she straightened her had and jogged to first base.  She wondered why all the students were looking at her like that. _Wow, this high school stuff is really difficult. All this "fitting in" is really an enigma, but I think I'm doing okay for my first day._

After class ended, Basil was bombarded with people from various clubs begging her to join. "Seraph," Jolt put her hand on the small girl's shoulder. "You should join the martial arts club. You look like you could make a pretty good fighter."

_If this girl only knew._

"She'll think about it," Hercule parted the crowd trying to get to Basil. "Give her a few more days to adjust."

Jolt gave Hercule the prettiest smile she could. "Hercky sweetums, you'll come to my match next week riiiight? It wouldn't be the same without you."

Hercule refrained from rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it." _Wouldn't miss a chance to see her getting smacked around a little._ Jolt was satisfied with the answer and after blowing him a kiss, sauntered off with two of her friends.

Basil looked up at him, a questioning look in her eyes. "Is that girl your mate?"

"WHAT!?" Hercule's face turned bright red. "What—what—" he couldn't even get the words out.

"I think she's interested in you and she looks pretty strong. You'd probably have very strong children to continue on the species. Doesn't that meet your criteria of a good mate?" Basil asked in a very distant and scientific voice.

Hercule ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I didn't think you needed to hear the story of the bird and the bees," he shook his head after getting another confused look. "There's more to having a girlfriend then… continuing the species." 

_Am I giving her a SEX TALK!?_

"Girlfriend?"

"That's right. It's a girl you like to spend time with. You're attracted to each other and you go out and stuff. And IF, and that's a big if Basil, you decide you want to get serious with her, you get married and then err… continue the species," Hercule was sweating now. Where the hell had this girl come from?

Basil looked up at him innocently. "Does that mean she's your girlfriend? She's attracted to you, right? I think you two have been out before, doesn't that fit your prerequisites?" She sounded so matter-of-fact, she could have been talking about Pythagorean theorem for all he knew. "She's rather attractive, even if she does have some serious character flaws. She even gave you annoyingly sweet pet name."

"Well, it's a two way thing," Hercule steadied himself on the steps in front of school. "I like her and she's pretty but I don't _like her _like_ that."_

Basil cocked her head to the side. "As in, you like her as a companion, but you wouldn't want to give her a child?"

"Wow, is it getting hot out here or what?" Hercule shrugged off his jacket. "That's… one way of putting it."

_He certainly gets embarrassed when talking about these things. It's kind of refreshing. _"So, Hercule."

"Y-yes, Basil?" She noticed the high pitch his voice had taken on. It was rather amusing.

"Would you give me a child?" She asked nonchalantly. 

THUD.

"Hercule? Hercule?" Basil shook the fallen teenager. With a bright smile on her face, she hefted him up on her back, carrying him the rest of the way home. Ignoring the funny looks she was getting from the people in the street, she carried Hercule to his room, gently placing him in his bed. Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she went back to her own room, falling back on her warm bed.

_I think I'm going to like it here._

---

Bulma Briefs, child genius and heiress to the Capsule Corporation fortune was on a mission. Her best friend had only just recently gone missing and Bulma decided to take this case into her very capable hands. Chi-Chi's hysterical father was in no condition to be going out on a space adventure so she decided she herself would take on the mission to bring her friend back to earth. After hours of consoling the Ox King, he finally gave her all information she needed.  From bits and pieces of the conversation he had overheard, Bulma deduced that two men from the planet _Vegeta had taken Chi-Chi under the pretense of thinking she was someone else. Wow, and here she thought aliens were supposed to be superior beings. _

It was difficult to plan, but Bulma would not be deterred.  Her best friend had been kidnapped by these barbarians!  Of all of the _nerve_.  After a bit of meticulous research (and three straight sleepless nights), she and her father found the coordinates for the distant planet.   She practically hijacked the newest model of spaceship that her father's team was working on, and, from the control panel in the boarding dock, set a course for planet Vegeta.  

He father had also handed her the prototype for a code-cracking device he had been working on to complement the new ship.  As she took the small, silver item from him, he said, "I'm sure you'll need this. It was hard enough finding that planet with all of its high tech shields," he stroked his purple mustache, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Are you sure you want to do this, dear? It could be dangerous."

Bulma's bright blue eyes were determined as she strapped a bandolier to her right thigh, which complimented her outfit perfectly. She was wearing a brown sleeveless shirt and baggy pants; one leg was cut off above her knee. She was wearing a pair of brown boots and had a bag in her hand. "If I don't save Chi-Chi, who will?" She flung her shoulder length blue hair behind her and boarded the small ship. "Beam me up, Scotty."

Mrs. Briefs pressed a hand to her cheek. "Oh dear, be careful honey! Maybe you can meet a nice young man in space!"

Bulma blushed, her hands shaking in anger. "I'M ABOUT TO GO OFF INTO SPACE AND ALL YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT IS WHETHER OR NOT I CAN FIND A HUSBAND!?" A look of realization dawned on her. "By the way, when Yamucha comes over tonight, tell him I'm sorry I can't make our date. Hmph, serves him right for all the times he ditched me." 

After waving goodbye to her parents, she buckled herself into the chair, her eyes looking more determined then ever. "Don't worry, Chi-Chi. I'll come find you, I promise."

The ride was a rather boring one. There was endless black and a few very small planets, but nothing really excited her. As she drifted out among the stars, she wondered what kind of people would be on this planet. Ox King had said they looked rather like humans, not the little green creatures from the movies. Were they just like humans emotionally as well? Did they know pain, happiness, love or any feelings she could relate to? Were they violent? What if they really did kill her? What if she came there and Chi-Chi was hurt… or worse? They had been friends for so long; Bulma couldn't imagine having to live without her.  Chi-Chi was the sister Bulma never had and she would die for Chi-Chi if she had to. 

She'd rather it didn't come to that, of course. She was just too pretty to die, after all.

Bulma plucked a sandwich from her bag, biting into it half-heartedly. Just as she began to get lost in her thoughts of her lost friend, she felt the ship tremble. "What the hell?" she wondered as she jumped to the window of the ship, spitting out her sandwich. She screamed and ran to the control panels as she spotted meteors heading straight for her small ship. Bulma scrambled to pilot the controls. She swore her heart stopped beating as soon as tired to shift gears and the control panel froze.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT MACHINE!!!" She was hysterical, tears flying as fast at the meteors. The panel blinked, flashed and sparked angrily at her. "I TAKE IT BACK, OKAY?! YOU'RE THE BEST SHIP I'VE EVER HAD! THE OTHERS WERE NOTHING COMPARED TO YOU!!!"  As if responding to her desperate plea, the panel resumed back to normal. Bulma quickly tried to dodge the oncoming flaming rocks as best as she could. "I am the champion at Frogger. I can do this!" Bulma froze. "I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE MY DRIVING TEST YET! THIS SHIP WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON AUTO PILOT!!!" 

Bulma's tears came back with full force. She was muttering prayers and apologies to Yamucha under her breath. "… and I could even forgive the fact that he ditched me twice last week. I bet he's really worried now. I'm sorry I wasn't a more understanding girlfriend. I'm sorry I cheated on my diet and ate that chocolate cake. I'M SORRY FOR CARING TOO MUCH!! This is it. I'm going to die. Good bye cruel, cruel world." Bulma slammed her fists on the panel.

"Auto pilot resumed," a mechanical voice informed Bulma.

Bulma jumped up and down happily. "I take it back, I'm not sorry about the cake. It was really good cake," she amended. Her ship was damaged, she noted, but not badly enough to hinder the rest of her trip. She wiped her cheeks, flying with a new resolve to save her friend. "I'll be alright. Steady girl," she whispered to the ship. "Take me to Chi-Chi."

The rest of the ride was peaceful, void of any flying rocks or any other interference. She approached her destination, her blue eyes hardening in resolve. She stopped the ship just before entering the atmosphere. After going through what seemed like hours of code cracking, she finally piloted her ship through the extremely high tech barrier and landed safely on the planet. Trying to avoid seeing any of the people on this planet, she made her way by foot to a large castle where she was sure they were keeping Chi-Chi, and if they weren't keeping her there, she'd be sure to learn where they were keeping her. She pushed her way through the halls, ignoring the shocked looks of the guards. "I guess they've never seen someone as beautiful as me before," she reasoned. It hadn't occurred to her that everyone on this planet had black hair and it was a strange sight to see someone with blue hair. And no tail. 

"Must be a new concubine," one guard mused. "She's kind of cute."

"YOU BASTARD! I AM NO ONE'S CONCUBINE!" She stopped at a large room with intricate golden doors. The guards in front eyed her amusedly. "Listen, if you don't let me in, I'll…" she looked at the small silver decoder she had in her gloved hands. "I'll blow this WHOLE PLANET up."

"She's bluffing," one said gruffly. "For a concubine, she sure is creative."

Bulma seethed silently.  "Would you want to take that chance? I was able to get through your barriers with no problem, so blowing this planet up would be a piece of cake for a genius like me! I don't want to have to use force, but I'll do what's needed. Make one false move," she put her hand on the button as she saw the guard raise his palm towards her, "and the planet gets it." 

Bulma cheered silently as the doors opened. She immediately saw Chi-Chi, who didn't look at all as though she was being tortured. On the contrary, she was wearing beautiful clothes and talking to a rather handsome soldier with dark hair that stuck out at every angle possible.  And she was blushing to the high heavens, especially when he put his hand on hers. _That sly dog. I've taught her well._

"Who are you?" A man with gravity defying dark hair, dark eyes and a goatee asked.   She guessed he was the king, or something, by his posture and the way he was dressed.  He looked intrigued by her, rather then angry. A teenager, looking very much like the king, stood beside him, giving the blue haired teenager an appreciative look. 

Bulma raised her chin, looking arrogantly at the group of warriors. "I am Bulma Briefs and you have something that belongs to me," she pointed towards Chi-Chi, who had unshed tears of happiness in her eyes. "And if you don't give her back, I'll… do something very rash. You don't even want to know what that is."

"Tell me, girl," King Vegeta raised his eyebrows. "How did you even manage to get on this planet? How did you manage to break all the codes and barriers we put up?"

Bulma smirked, looking haughtily at the bunch. "Well, I am Bulma Briefs, the beautiful, wonderful, intelligent—"

"And modest," a large warrior with long spiky hair injected.

Bulma choose to ignore him. "I just used this little gadget," she pointed to her silver device. "It was child's play really.  On my planet I'm famous for my ingenuity.  I can crack any code, hack any program, and build just about anything."  

"Then it's decided," the King declared. "You will both stay on this planet."

"WHAT?!" Bulma screamed. "What do you mean, 'stay'? I have a DATE tonight!  I can't stay!"

Prince Vegeta smirked at the young girl's distress. "Well, you'll just have to skip it. We need your vast knowledge of science and physics to help us. And your little friend over there," he glanced over at Chi-Chi who was standing with Kakkarot, "doesn't seem to want to leave."

"I could just escape," Bulma mirrored the Prince's stance. "It wouldn't be hard at all."

Prince Vegeta shrugged. "I guess you could escape unscathed.  I can't promise the earth will be so lucky."

Chi-Chi and Bulma's eyes bugged out of their heads. "ExCUSE me!? Just what are you trying to say Prince Jackass?" Bulma challenged, amused at the Prince's twitch. "Are you trying to threaten me? I refuse to be talked down to like this!"

Chi-Chi tugged at Bulma's sleeve. "What should we do?" she whispered. "I don't want the earth to be blown up! They can do it, I'm sure! We can't take that chance. I'd rather sacrifice my freedom then having earth destroyed. I know you feel the same way."

Bulma sighed. She was truly stuck between and rock and a hard place. If she tried to escape, she'd have no home to escape to. But then again, if she stayed she would be giving up everything she loved on earth. "What if I help you with whatever your problem is and then you let us go?" she reasoned. 

The King looked thoughtful. "That sounds fair, child.  As long as you cooperate with us, we will leave you and earth in peace."

"Yes," repeated the Prince, smirking.  "As long as you cooperate.  So do try not to act like an insufferable shrew while you stay here, or we may be forced to jettison you out into space."  

"An insufferable… what"!  Bulma fumed.  _ARGH! This guy is too much. Who does he think he is!?_

King Vegeta positively lit up the room with his grin.  "Now children, there's more than enough time for that.   Miss Briefs, would you please accompany me to the control room?"

They all made the short trip, Chi-Chi and Kakkarot grinning at each other every time Vegeta and Bulma glared at one another.  Which was every five seconds.  Eventually, they reached the door to the control room which the king opened with the push of a button.

"You see, not too long ago a powerful tyrant known as Frieza was locked in an interdimensional prison by a wandering Saiyajin warrior," exposited the king, gesturing around him.   "Unfortunately, the wards that were placed on the prison are slowly weakening.  This wouldn't pose such a problem if we could pinpoint his exact coordinates, but our estimates are sketchy, at best, because he his floating within many dimensions.  Our scientists have been working day and night to figure out a way to keep him in the prison permanently. He will surely come here to destroy our planet if he ever escapes."

"Alright," Bulma cracked her knuckles, pushing a scientist arrogantly out of the way. The scientist glared at her, his tail swishing angrily. She typed furiously at the computer, while the others watched in wonder.  "This is cake for a genius like me."

"Do you think she can do it?" Kakkarot whispered into Chi-Chi's ear.

Chi-Chi nodded. "Bulma is amazing. I'm sure she'll have this done in ten minutes, tops."

But after three hours of everyone sitting around and Bulma still typing furiously, she turned to the Saiyajins, an apologetic look on her face. "This is very complicated," she admitted. "The best I can do is strengthen the wards. It should buy you some time but it will only delay the inevitable." Bulma sat up, stretching.   "These previous wards are very curious… they seem familiar, almost.  In any case, I've bought you at least twenty years.  That's certainly enough time to decide how you can deal with this Frigidaire guy, or whatever."

The King nodded. "Thank you. You have done your job, so tomorrow we will send you and your cute little friend home. It's a shame though," he said in mournful voice. "I was _so_ looking forward to getting to know you better."

"I'll bet," Radditz muttered under his breath. 

"Your ship was badly damaged," The King admitted. "We will give you one to return with tomorrow. Kale will show you to your room."

Bulma sighed with relief as she and Chi-Chi followed the small woman dressed in a nurses outfit. "Thank you. Hey, Chi-Chi, I bet your father will be very happy to see you home," she nudged her friend, after seeing the sad look in her eyes. "But I don't think you want to go home, do you?"  
  


Chi-Chi fell on the bed, her face smothered in the pillows. "I really want to see my father but…"

Bulma sat back on a chair, running her fingers through her hair. "What's his name?"

She couldn't see her face, but Bulma knew her friend was blushing up a storm. "Kakkarot. It's just—I don't want to be selfish and keep you here. But… part of me wants to stay. I'm sorry. Does that make me a terrible person?" Chi-Chi cried.

Bulma patted her friend's hand. "No, it doesn't. This must have been a hell of a month then. So have you two—"

"NO!" steam puffed out of Chi-Chi's ears. "I've only known him for a month!!! What kind of girl do you think I AM?!"

Bulma laughed at her friend's distress. "I was just kidding Chi. I think I'm going to get some sleep," she yawned, looking over at the bed Chi-Chi was currently on. "Why don't you think about it some more, and tomorrow morning tell me if you really want to stay or not, okay?"

Chi-Chi nodded, giving her friend a hug. "Good night."

After Chi-Chi left, Bulma collapsed on the bed.  She was dozing lightly when she heard a small crash from somewhere inside the room.  She was blinking sleep from her eyes when that crash was soon was followed by a slight explosion.  That certainly woke her up. 

"What the hell are you doing in my room and what did you just blow up?" Bulma asked the teenage Prince, looking very smug.

"This? Oh, this was your little decoder. Without this, you'll have quite a lot of trouble getting off the planet," Vegeta leaned against her wall, "considering I gave specific orders preventing your escape."

Bulma jumped up from her comfortable bed, standing nose to nose with the pernicious Prince. "What? Why would you do that? Your father promised we could leave—"

Vegeta eyed the girl coolly, turning around and putting his hands on the walls, trapping her. "Yes, well, I'm not my father. You're peculiar looking," The Prince said crisply, after studying her for a few minutes. "You're a spoiled, disrespectful, wretched girl who has a rather annoying voice, but I've decided to keep you around for awhile. It should prove interesting to say the least."

"You arrogant bast—" Bulma's insult was soon cut off when a pair of lips roughly covered hers. A million bells and lights went off in Bulma's head telling her no, no, no.  But he held her there completely, and she was so overpowered by him that it was futile to offer resistance.  And, she loathed to admit as the kiss began to lose its roughness and take on a strange softness, for an evil alien who was holding her hostage, Vegeta wasn't a terrible kisser. So she just stood there, frozen, unable to do anything but wonder how she got herself into these situations.

"If you really want to, leave," he said smugly as he pulled back, noting the shocked look on the girl's face.  He was _damn_ good, if he did say so himself. Giving the girl one last look, he sauntered out of the room, his velvet cape flowing gently behind him.

Bulma stayed frozen in that position for a good fifteen minutes before making her way to her bed. She sat there, simply staring at the wall for another three hours, before picking up the communicator her father had given her.  Thankfully Vegeta hadn't blown that up along with the decoder.

"Daddy? Tell Yamucha I don't think I'll be able to make our date after all…"

---

**752 AD**

Charles, the Satan's trusty butler, tried as best as he could not to burst out laughing at the young master's behavior. Twenty-two year old Satan Hercule knew he looked incredibly stupid practicing marriage proposal to his butler, but if he didn't, it would come out all wrong and he just couldn't stand that. He wanted everything to be perfect for the woman loved. They had lived together for four blissful years (without his ever-vacationing parents ever finding out) and were quite happy. 

_Yes, very happy, Hercule blushed, fingering the diamond ring he was offering the butler. It wasn't long ago they had consummated their love for the first time, although Hercule had made the "mature" decision of telling her they shouldn't again until they were married. This of course, led to a whole discussion on what "wedding" and "marriage" were, being that Basil was confused by both. After he explained it in graphic detail, the love, the marriage, and maybe eventually the baby carriage, she looked quite satisfied with the future he had planned for them. So here he was, practicing looking like an idiot for the woman he loved._

"You know how I feel about you," Hercule looking right into Charles' eyes. "Your smile is like an upside down rainbow and that's why—No. That sounds stupid. Basil, you're the only woman I ever want to be with. I would climb the highest mountain, forge the widest ocean—NO NO NO!" Hercule stomped his foot.

Charles cleared his throat. "Sir, have you thought maybe you should just say what comes naturally? Miss Basil will be most impressed."

"You think? Okay, I'm going to try it," Hercule closed his eyes, picturing Basil as he always did. Surrounded by light and beauty, her long hair blowing gently around her, her dark eyes boring into his own. "You make me want to be a better man. Every time I look into your eyes, I feel like the weakest and strongest man in the world. I would be nothing without you. We're soul mates, one soul, two bodies. Fate brought you to me four years ago and I never want to lose you. So, Basil, will you let me be the man who can call you his wife?"

Charles was left breathless. "Sir, why, I—"

A small maid walked by, more then a little surprised to see Hercule on one knee, offering a ring to Charles. They both looked at her guiltily. "I saw nothing," she said walking quickly to finish the laundry. 

Hercule turned to Charles, both bursting into peals of laughter at the hilarity of the situation. "I'm going, now. I'm ready," Hercule announced after receiving a smile of support from his oldest friend. He marched towards Basil's room, throwing the door open. "Basil I—" He gazed around the room, surprised not to find his love anywhere around. He was about the bolt out to call the police when he saw a small piece of paper on her bed. Hercule picked up the paper addressed to him and began to read it.

_My dearest Hercule,_

_          Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you. You've given me a home, a life, and most of all, your love. You gave me a second chance at living and being happy and for that, I could never thank you enough. People said we were young and foolish, but you knew better. You knew that what we shared together was beautiful and pure, in ever sense of the word. Although it pains me, I'm afraid I have to leave you. Love is about truth and trust and without it, there is no love. You taught me that, don't you remember? I haven't been entirely truthful with you. I didn't lose my memory of my previous life as I had led you to believe, but I was afraid. I underestimated you severely. I thought you couldn't possibly love the real me, the me of the past. I was so wrong and if I could take back all the times I held the truth from you, I would. _

_          I can't go into great detail, because I honestly fear for your safety. There are people looking for me for reasons I couldn't possibly explain in one short letter. I couldn't live with myself if I knew you had gotten hurt because of me. Maybe that's why I didn't tell you anything in the first place. I thought I would only be with you temporarily, but little did I know how you would affect me. I felt safe somewhere, for the first time in my short life. Maybe I was only fooling myself by thinking I could lead a normal life, but I wanted it more then anything._

_          I know how you hate prolonged goodbyes, so I'll make this short and to the point. I love you. I was never good at saying it, growing up in a place were the words were scarce, if there at all. You were the anchor of happiness in the sea of sorrow I nearly drowned in. Don't look for me, it will make things harder on you. I hope you find someone who can be the woman that you need her  to be._

_          I know I am in no place to ask anything of you, but I have to. Promise me you'll live. Live your life to the fullest. Never regret what was lost, because the saddest can only regret what never was._

_With every breath I take, my thoughts will be of you,_

Basil

Hercule sat on the bed, a million questions going through his mind. He barely noticed the velvet box slip out of his hands and lay on her bed, smelling the sweet scent of her perfume still on the warm pillow. He held the letter close to his heart as he sobbed quietly, feeling the pain of the loss of his first love. Caught in the depths of desolation and despair, he briefly considered ending his life, quickly and painlessly, but remembered the last line of her letter. _Never regret what was lost, because the saddest can only regret what never was… Live…_

"I'll live just like I have been living, Basil. For you… Only for you…"

Elsewhere, a young girl lay on a foreign bed, holding her hand on slightly swollen her stomach fresh with a new life, crying. Crying for all that was lost, all that could have been, and what would be.  They were close now, she knew as she sobbed, and though she hoped that they would forget all about her, closer still they came.  She could feel them, their omnipresent eyes watching her, waiting for her to trip and fall.  Waiting for her to lose control and flare out to the universe like a beacon in the night, saying, "Here I am.  Come and find me."

She would not let the only person she ever loved be there when it happened.  He would be better off without her, and so, though she would not be better off without him, she closed her eyes, prayed,  and braced herself for the long, lonely journey.

The beginning had ended.

But the story had just started.

---

**Preview of Chapter 2:**

"WATCH OUT!" A voice called, pushing her out of the way just as the shelf finally gave out and fell down on the person who had called out to her.

Videl positively panicked as she realized there was a person buried underneath the shelves. People gathered to watch the scene unfold, murmuring about the brave but stupid man who had saved the little girl from impending doom. Oblivious to anything but the man she might have had a hand in killing, she picked the shelf off the man. 

With one hand. 

People continued to stare. And stare. What had just happened here? 

Okay, a man got crushed by a shelf to save a little girl and said girl picked it up herself. 

With one hand. 

"Why did you do that? I could have handled it myself," Videl assured the man as she pulled his twitching body from the ground with ease. "Are you okay?" She turned to his friend when he didn't respond. "Is he okay?"

Kuririn, the man with the pleasant disposition, looked very confused at how such a small girl just picked up a three hundred pound shelf.  His usual smile wavered. The girl was _tiny_; he was sure she couldn't be more then three or four with her dark hair pulled up in pigtails, and large blue eyes that were currently gazing him with such intensity, it scared him for a moment. She talked with the clarity and maturity of an adult, not to mention she had just _pulled_ a _shelf_ off of his friend _one-handedly_. He had seen some weird things in his life, he had to admit but this took the cake. Literally. "Umm… I think he'll be okay," he said weakly.

Yamucha finally got to his feet with a groan. His gaze landed on the young girl. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked her, as his blue fuzzy companion whined about ungrateful children.

 "Yes." Videl cocked her head to the side, carefully staring at the man. Through his ripped shirt and pants she could see he was very tall and muscular. He had dark, spiky hair sticking out from under a red cap and she could briefly see a scar across his left cheek. She quickly lost interest in the man and turned it over to more pressing matters. The cake. She plucked her cake from the floor and quickly ripped open the box and treated herself to a well deserved snack. 

 "VIDEL!" a bright blue battle aura quickly lit up the store.

Uh oh.

**End Preview.******


	3. Chapter 2: Where the Streets Have No Na...

**Chapter 2- Where the Streets Have No Name (U2)**__

_I want to run, I want to hide  
I want to tear down the walls holding me inside  
I want to reach out, and touch the flame  
Where the streets have no name.  
I want to feel, sunlight on my face  
I see the dust cloud disappear without a trace  
I want to take shelter, from the poison rain  
Where the streets have no name_  
  


**A/N:** In a response to a review for chapter 1: Basil's high school scene was _supposed_ to be a parody of "Gohan Goes to High School". It serves as a kind of an inside joke to all of us who have to suffer with the FUNi versions of things.

*

**759 AD**

It was a quiet night in South City. The usual urban din -- the loud cars, the construction work, the drunks and junkies – was absent. On this night, all babies slept peacefully and all were safe, everywhere. There was nothing but an almost eerie, fragile stillness.

The calm, one could say, and everyone knows what follows the calm.

A young mother sat on the terrace outside of her bedroom window, staring at the large moon. Not full, she noted, with troubled look in her dark eyes. She pulled her robe closer to her body as the wind blew, sending a chill down her spine and tousling her long dark hair. The moon was so bright and beautiful, but was also so full of the potential death and destruction that haunted her for most of her adolescent life. 

Her heart constricted as she thought of her home planet. Her parents were long since dead and she was almost positive the government was still looking for her. They had come dangerously close to finding her before, she was sure of that, and she knew that somehow they were punishing her with the slow torture of making her wait, day in and out, scared, vulnerable, and exposed.

She wandered back inside to her room and sat down on a couch, placing her head in her small hands. _And Hercule? How are you doing without me?_

At the thought of her first love and the father of her child, she put her hand over her aching chest. It wasn't fair. Basil should have had him as her husband, and her daughter shouldn't have to wonder why all the other children had a father. But she couldn't possibly go crawling back to him after leaving him a note and disappearing for six years. _I wonder if he tried to look for me, _Basil put her head in her hands. _I wonder how he's doing._

There were so many reasons that she could not go back to him, no matter how desperately she wished that she could. She was honestly scared for his safety, first and foremost. After she had gotten pregnant, her _ki_ had doubled with the new life growing within her. Her unborn child, although only half-Saiyajin, had a power that was difficult to suppress. The Saiyajins would spare no lives in taking hers, that was for sure. If she didn't either or kill herself, they would certainly destroy him, if not for getting in the way, but to obliterate her happiness. Killing herself was out of the question, even though Basil vowed to never let Hercule get hurt because of her, but she would never let any harm come to their child.

There was also the scandal that would kill Hercule's career as a famous and popular professional football player. The tabloids would have a field day if they found out that he was the father of an illegitimate child. 

_Not to mention, _a small voice in her head whispered, _that you're scared that he would reject you once he found out who you really were: Basil, Second Class Warrior of the Planet Vegeta. _

"Mama?" a small pajama clad girl walked into the room, rubbing her bright blue eyes sleepily. Her shoulder length ebony colored hair was mused and she dragged along an old and worn brown stuffed monkey. "Why are you up?"

Basil turned to face her daughter and forced a smile. "That was my question to you. It's late, you need your rest." Still, she beckoned for her daughter to sit in her lap. The girl quickly scrambled to her mother. "Can't sleep?" She brushed a lock of her daughter's hair away from her eyes.

"Not just me," she played with the frayed orange and blue ribbon on her favorite stuffed animal. "Son Goku can't sleep either. He wants to go on an adventure to become the strongest being in the universe."

Basil patted the old monkey's head with a mock look of stern her face. "Son Goku will have to wait until tomorrow morning for any adventures. Even the King of the Monkeys needs his sleep."

Videl stared at Son Goku, shaking her head and sighing. "I _told _you she would say that." Videl looked up at her mother, noticing the strained look on her face. For a six year old, she was dangerously perceptive. She could easily read people's expressions and understand their complex feelings. "What are you thinking about, Mama? Are you mad because of what happened in school?" 

Videl was referring to the incident that had occurred the day before in her kindergarten class. The teacher, one of Videl's favorites, was having trouble lifting a heavy piece of furniture so Videl did the nice thing and picked it up for her. One handed. A boy had teased her mercilessly as usual and called her a freak. It hurt and Videl didn't like to be hurt. So she decked him. She didn't hit him hard enough to do any permanent damage, but it was hard enough to scare the little brat into never messing with her again. 

The kids at school were always teasing her, Videl though sadly, hugging Son Goku tightly. She had no idea where she came from, who her grandparents were or even who her father was. _Fatherless freak, _they often teased. It made her want to crawl into a corner and cry, but something burning deep inside of her kept her from showing her weakness. Pride, her mother had called it. Pride had kept her head up and had given her the strength to ignore the taunts. But finally it became too much for her to handle. Didn't they _know_ she wished desperately to know her family? To know about her mother's past?

Basil placed her hand on her only child's head. Videl turned her bright blue eyes to her mother and Basil was surprised to see them filled with unshed tears. Even as a baby, Videl hardly ever cried. She would whine and whimper a bit when hungry, but it was rare that tears actually fell from her magnificent eyes. "Mama, no one at school likes me. They think I'm a freak because I can lift heavy things. How come I can lift those things when none of the other kids can? It isn't fair, I just want to be like everyone else!" 

It broke Basil's heart to see her daughter in so much pain. _Maybe it's time she learned the truth about us… about me. About everything._

"You're a special little girl," Basil said in a soft voice, stroking her daughter's hair. "I'm sorry I haven't been honest with you. There is a lot that I didn't think you could understand, but I was so wrong. You're such a smart girl and you're right, this isn't fair. You deserve a father and normal childhood. Oh God, how do I even begin to explain?"

Videl stroked Son Goku's ear, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Where do we come from?" She pointed up towards the ceiling. "North?"

Basil laughed gently, hugging her daughter. "Not exactly. I wasn't born on earth, Videl. I was born on Vegeta, a small planet in the west quadrant of the galaxy. When I was a teenager, my parents -- your grandparents -- who were scientists, were wrongly accused of committing crimes against the King. The penalty for a crime like that was death... and my parents sent me away to earth to escape the punishment," Basil took a deep breath. _This is always the hardest part. _"When I came to this planet, I met your father. I crashed in his mother's rose garden and he took me in. We lived together for some time, but I knew the people from Vegeta were still looking for me. After I became pregnant with you, I had to leave him because I was scared those people would hurt him."

"Were you married to my father?"

Basil cheeks flushed for a second. Dammit. Talking to her daughter was talking to an mini adult. "Not exactly. But I deeply cared for him," she added quickly. "And he cared for me."

Videl's eyebrows shot up in realization. "So what you're telling me is that I'm an ALIEN?!"

"Half alien, dear. Your father was human. You know the small scar that's on the small of your back? You used to have a tail once upon a time. Like all Saiyajins," Basil mused. "I used to have one too. I removed it before I came to earth. Earth has a full moon every month whereas on Vegeta-sei it's full every seven years. If a Saiyajin, or even a half-Saiyajin I presume, had their tails during a full moon, they would turn into an _Oozaru_."

"Oo-zar-u," Videl tested the word on her lips. "What's that?"

Basil tried to find the words. "A very large ape-like creature with the tremendous power." 

Videl continued to blink up at her mother. "So, you're telling me I'm not only half-alien, but I could turn into a HUGE monkey and destroy stuff? Not to mention you're a criminal and these Saiyajin people are probably still looking for you?" Basil nodded tentatively. When she put it like that… "That. Is. AWESOME! Most kids have doctors and teachers for parents but I have an alien outlaw who had an illicit relationship with a human!"

Basil sighed. Her daughter sure had a way with words, didn't she? "Now that you know, you have to promise not to show your true strength anymore. Okay?"

"I promise, Mama. Does my being half-Sa-iya-jin," she pronounced slowly, "have anything to do with this?" She pulled out a small silver necklace from inside of her pajamas. The star pendant shone in the moonlight.

Basil shook her head, smiling. Nothing got past this kid. "Every person has something called life energy, or _ki_. Because we are not fully human, our _ki_ is a lot stronger and can be easily detected. That necklace is a _ki_ shield, so that the Saiyajins can't find you. " Her eyes grew sad. "When I became pregnant with you, I made that to mask your ki. It took a long time to make," she admitted. "Almost a whole year. But you were so small then, I don't think the Saiyajins even suspected anything."

"So then how come you didn't go back to my papa after that?" Videl's eyes widened as she saw tears coming to her mother's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mama. Did I make you cry? I'm sorry. Don't cry. I'm happy living with you like this. I don't need a papa if I have you," Videl insisted desperately.

Basil held her daughter tighter in response.

"Are the Saiyajins bad people, Mama? What was living on Vegeta-sei like? Was it like earth? What were my grandparents like?" She shot off, never missing a beat.

"Whoa, whoa. One question at a time. No, the Saiyajins aren't bad people, per _se_. They are a warrior race, who heavily depend on their strength. They are strong, proud and fierce, never afraid to go after what they want. While many are feared all over the galaxy, there were some Saiyajins who were very kind, sweet, and gentle," Basil's eyes were misty again. Videl could see how much Basil still missed her home planet.

Videl snuggled closer to her mother, her eyes closing with fatigue. "Will you tell me about Vegeta-sei sometime? About my grandparents and your friends?" Her grip on her favorite stuffed animal loosened as she fell to sleep. "About… my… father?" she asked, her breathing becoming labored. 

"I will someday, darling," Basil picked up the small girl and placed her into the bed. She placed the worn monkey next to her. "Someday…"

*

Videl bounced up and down as she and her mother exited their car and entered the Orange Star supermarket. The supermarket was huge, filled with many foods and goodies that made Videl's mouth water. For a six year old, she could probably eat enough for her whole kindergarten class. Her mother told her it a trait that could be chalked up to her Saiyajin heritage, so she tried to eat normally in front of people. But her mother let her eat whatever she wanted at home, so every trip to the market was a birthday, Christmas and all the other holidays rolled into one. 

Taking her mother's hand, Videl walked along with her to find a decent sized shopping cart. She glared at all the men who were staring at her mother, although she felt a bit proud of how beautiful her mother was, and how most people said she looked exactly like her. Men just kept right on staring though her mother wasn't exactly dressed to impress, wearing baggy jeans, a tee-shirt and an Orange Star Titan's baseball cap. 

Ah, baseball. Basil enjoyed football as well (for the glimpse of Hercule she managed to steal every week), but baseball was the one thing that Basil loved more then anything on Earth. She was denied the pleasure of experiencing the great pastime on Vegeta-sei, but she found out she had a great passion for the sport. She and her daughter happily bonded over the sport and watched their favorite team, the Orange Star Titans, every night on television. They even took in a game or two at the ballpark each month. 

The only disappointing thing was that Basil's favorite player -- a talented, gorgeous hunk of man that but managed to get into the most bench clearing fights in the history of the game -- had retired almost four years earlier. Apparently, he had quit after only two years of playing and had disappeared to live on some remote island, becoming some sort of a recluse. It was a little strange, Basil remembered thinking, but to each his own.__

Videl and her mother entered the store and were surprised to find how crowded it was. Within seconds, she got separated from her mother in the midst of all the chaos. She considered panicking, but instead shrugged it off (her mother would certainly find her later) and made her way over to the bread aisle. She walked up and down the aisle, trying to pick out her favorites among the bread, bagels, pasta and cakes. She smiled as she found her all-time favorite chocolate layer cake, but was annoyed to find her treasure was all the way on the top of the shelf. True, it was three times her size and it looked like she would need a crane to lift it, but man, she wanted it so badly. 

Videl considered her options. It was SO high, much too high for the small girl to reach. Her prize would soon be hers, though, no matter what. She scaled the shelves, climbing them like a pro, but they were pretty high and her arms were still short. Videl cried out as the shelf wobbled dangerously beneath her and threatened to fall, taking her with it. However, before that could happen, her foot slipped off and she fell to the ground. Unaware that the huge shelf was still tilting towards her, she sat up and tried to calculate a new plan to obtain the cake.

"WATCH OUT!" A voice called, pushing her out of the way just as the shelf finally gave out and fell down on the person who had called out to her.

Videl positively panicked as she realized there was a person buried underneath the shelves. People gathered to watch the scene unfold, murmuring about the brave but stupid man who had saved the little girl from impending doom. Oblivious to anything but the man she might have had a hand in killing, she picked the shelf off the man. 

With one hand. 

And people continued to stare. And stare. 

What had just happened here? 

Okay, a man got crushed by a shelf to save a little girl and said girl picked it up herself. 

With one hand. 

"WHY did you do that? I could have handled it myself," Videl assured the man as she pulled his twitching body from the ground with ease. "Are you okay?" She turned to his friend when he didn't respond. "Is he okay?"

Kuririn, bald man wearing an orange gi and a pleasant disposition, was very confused at how such a small girl just picked up a three hundred pound shelf. His usual amused smile wavered. The girl was _tiny_ and he was sure she couldn't be more then three or four. Her dark hair was pulled up into pigtails, and large blue eyes currently gazed at him with such intensity that it scared him for a moment. She spoke with the clarity and maturity of an adult, not to mention she had just _pulled_ a _shelf_ off of his friend _one-handedly_. He had seen some weird things in his life but this took the cake. Literally. "Umm… I think he'll be okay," he said weakly.

Yamucha finally got to his feet with a groan. His gaze landed on the young girl. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked her, as his blue fuzzy companion whined about ungrateful children.

"Yes." Videl cocked her head to the side, carefully staring at the man. Through his ripped shirt and pants she could see he was very tall and muscular. He had dark, spiky hair sticking out from under a red cap and she could briefly see a scar across his left cheek. However, she quickly lost interest in the man when she realized she needed to take care of more pressing matters: the cake. She plucked her cake from the floor and quickly ripped open the box and treated herself to a well deserved snack. 

"VIDEL!" a bright blue battle aura quickly lit up the store.

Uh oh.

"I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO!? DID YOU MAKE THIS SHELF FALL?! WHAT IF SOMEONE HAD GOTTEN HURT—" Basil stopped her rant and bowed slightly to the hunched over man that _had_ in fact gotten hurt. "I'm so sorry – " She quickly turned back to her daughter. "YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" 

The people standing by slowly backed away and went back to their shopping, very much intimidated by this woman. The manager slipped into his office, promising to clean the mess up. After the scary woman went home.

Videl licked the chocolate off of her fingers and stared innocently at her mother. "But Mama, it wasn't my fault. I wouldn't have gotten hurt if the shelf fell on me. This man just got hurt by accident. At least no one died," Videl reasoned, finished off the cake in record time, her small mouth covered in the fudge frosting.

"He almost died thanks to you!" the small cat blue, Puar, cried. Her high voice made Videl grimace. "And you didn't even say thank you!"

"It's okay," Yamucha wheezed. Miffed, he stood to face them, but any anger he felt towards the girl melted away at the absolute cuteness of her expression, the cake smeared across her face and hands. She looked like a tiny porcelain doll. A chocolate covered doll no less. "I-- It was an accident." 

Videl nodded, wiping her mouth. "That's right, Mama. It was an accident."

Oh God, Basil thought. It's YAMUCHA. The baseball player. Yamucha the baseball player that she worshipped and now she was going to die. Basil coughed, averting her eyes from her crush. She wished the floor would just swallow her now. "I'm so sorry," she murmured into her hand. What if she got sued?! What if they took her daughter away!? She was too young to go to jail! She would eat them out of house and home! She would beat up all the inmates! She would-- 

"Don't worry about it," Yamucha smiled, winking at Basil. He looked at the empty cake tin. "What happened to the cake?"

Videl shrugged. "I ate it," she licked her hand for good measure. "It was good."

"You ate ALL of it?" he and Kuririn croaked in unison.

"My daughter has a big appetite," Basil blushed. "Very big."

Yamucha raised his eyebrows. "But she's so SMALL! She can't be more then four!"

"I'm nearly seven," Videl informed him. "Mama, can I have more cake?"

Basil bristled noticeably. "NO! And at the rate you're going, no dessert for a week!"

Yamucha's heart went out to the girl as her eyes filled with tears. She looked up at her mother, biting her lip, trying to "bravely" hold back her tears. He saw her mother's resolve melt at once as she stroked her child's hair. "You can't do dangerous things like this anymore. I would be very sad if something happened to you." She looked up at Yamucha. "My name is Basil and this little terror is my daughter, Videl. I am _so_ sorry about this."

"I'm Yamucha," he said, as it weren't obvious. He was famous, after all. "This is Kuririn, and this is Puar," he pointed to himself and his two friends. "It's nice to meet you."

"Excuse me. Don't you think we should continue this conversation somewhere else?" Kuririn gestured to the people in the store who were still gaping at the group.

Yamucha bent down to Videl's level. "How about I treat you ladies to some ice cream?"

"Really?" Videl smiled brightly, her face lighting up.

"You really don't have to--" Basil protested weakly.

"We insist. Don't we, Kuririn, Puar?"

Kuririn nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Ice cream sounds like a good idea. The shopping can wait."

"I guess so," Puar reluctantly agreed.

The four walked across the street to the Orange Star Sweets 'N Stuff, Videl chattering amicably with Kuririn the whole way about global warming and it's dangers. He threw Yamucha a look, but the former baseball player just smiled and shrugged. Kids these days; so well informed. "As you can see, if you give her food, my daughter Videl will follow you anywhere," Basil walked into the brightly colored shop and waited for their ice cream. She nearly drooled as she dug into her ice cream sundae.

"She's cute," Yamucha watched as Kuririn picked up the small girl into his lap and pretended to steal her ice cream cone. "He better watch out; that's how people lose fingers."

Basil laughed, enjoying her company immensely. Yamucha was even cuter in person, not to mention funny, and nice. And whenever he stared at her, it made her feel things she hadn't let herself feel in a long time. Her eyes narrowed as Yamucha reached out with his spoon to steal some of her sundae. "You better watch it because this is how people REALLY lose fingers." She smacked his hand away. Who was he to act so familiar with her? If he thought she was just one of his airhead groupies, he was… only half correct.

"Your husband better watch out, having two strong women like you two to worry about," he baited her.

She didn't even blink. "I'm not married."

_Score. _"You're much too beautiful to be single."

Basil snorted. "And how many women have you used that line on?"

Puar giggled in the background.

"None!" he held his hands up in defense. She gave him a look. "Okay, maybe one or two," he grinned. He just loved a feisty woman. "I'll spare you the formalities, Basil. How about dinner, Saturday night?"

She shook her head. "Thanks but, I'll have to decline."

Yamucha couldn't hide his shocked look. "Decline? Why?"

"You're too… tall," she said finally.

He dropped to his knees. "How about now?"

"Hmm… no. Videl, it's time to go."

Videl whined. "But Mama, do we haaaave to go?"

"We have to find another grocery store if you want to eat dinner. Now, thank the men for buying you ice cream and let's go." 

Videl hopped off of Kuririn's lap and face the two men. "Thanks for the ice cream, Mr. Kuririn and Mr. Yamucha!"

"You're very welcome," Yamucha grinned, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Come on, Basil. Could I at least have your number? I'd give you mine if I thought you would use it."

"It's 555-363—" 

Basil put her hand over her daughter's mouth. "What have I told you about giving your phone number to _strangers_?"

Videl looked incredulously at her mother. "You also told me not to take food from them, either. Besides, they're not strangers. They're our new friends!" 

"Where will we be going on our date, Basil? I was thinking— "

Basil rolled her dark eyes. "Now there you're using that 'we' word again, Yamucha. There is 'you'. There is 'I'. There is no 'we'. WE are not, nor ever will be going on date."

"Not yet."

"Not _ever_."

"We'll see."

"How long can you hold your breath?"

"A _very_ long time."

*

**761 AD**

In the end, despite all of Basil's attempts to be rid of Yamucha, he was around her constantly. With Yamucha came Kuririn, the ex-monk with the wicked sense of humor, Puar, the talking blue cat, and Muten Roshi, the world's oldest and most perverted man. Videl had taken to all of them almost immediately and loved her "Grandpa Roshi" and "Uncle Kuririn" unconditionally. They trained with her, teaching the Kamesennin-ryu that Roshi was famous for. While Basil made sure they didn't do anything too dangerous with her only child (the turtle shell thing and delivering milk was a little weird, but at least it wasn't unsafe), they taught her to harness her natural speed and strength (which Kuririn still marveled over). They also taught her to control her emotions, sadness, happiness and anger included. 

Especially her anger.

Videl had a special relationship with Yamucha, treating him as the father figure she never had. Videl showed him report cards, described to him what happened in school (he was thoroughly amused at her course of actions when boys tried to talk to her: the usual decking) and invited him to school functions. In return, he treated her as the daughter he was never blessed with. _You'll spoil her_, Basil tried to warn him, but it was to no avail. Videl was Yamucha's little princess. 

During the rare times that she was sad or upset, Yamucha would lift the small girl into his arms, letting her long, silky hair run through his fingers until she finally giggled in delight. _Your eyes are the most brilliant sapphires, _he would say, twirling her around. _Your hair is spun from the finest silk. Your lips are rubies and your skin comes from pearls. My little Videl._

He certainly had a way with ladies of all ages.

Except the one he truly loved.

He had pursued Basil from the moment he met her. She was beautiful, but she was also strong, both physically and mentally, having to raise a daughter all on her own for so long. While she had to learn to be tough with her daughter, she was infinitely kind and loving, always putting others before herself. She was smart, slick, crafty and called everyone on their bullshit. And she loved martial arts and baseball.

He was convinced this woman was truly his soul mate and soon after meeting her, he stopped seeing other women altogether. While she would amicably scorn all of his advances, he could see that it wouldn't be long before the proud woman cracked and finally accepted having dinner alone with him. Yamucha would make comments to her about what life would be like when they were finally married, like how he would build a house for her, with a white picket fence and everything.

_You sound so sure of yourself, _she smirked. _Don't go making too many plans, Yamucha. Things always manage to go wrong and plans fall through. Don't go putting hope into things, especially me._

He just shrugged at her. _Love always finds a way._

_You're a foolish man._

_Only fools fall in love, _he sang, grinning as Basil's annoyance finally deflated. _I would do anything for you, Basil. Do you want the moon and stars? I'll cross the heavens and take them for you, putting the stars in your hair and the moon in your eyes. How about the sun? Or the sea? Or a mountain?_

_You know where you can put your mountain,_ she said gruffly, but she was smiling as she finally took his hand in hers. 

He would wait for her. Wait until she was ready to admit she loved him, as he knew she did. She was scared, he realized not too long after they met. She was scared of falling in love. He would wait forever is he had to.

Although, he hoped it wouldn't take that long. 

In the end, it had taken him nearly two years to win her over. She was still apprehensive, still afraid. _I'd never hurt you, _he swore, his eyes serious. 

_I'm afraid of hurting you, _Basil leaned her head back into the sand, closing her eyes. _All I seem to do is hurt the people I love. There are things you don't know about me and I'm afraid you won't want to be with me if you found out._

_Try me._

She told him everything, including her birth on another planet. She related the wars, the fighting, the pain of losing her parents, friends and home, and the loneliness. She shared with him the heartache of losing her first love, the fear of having a child all on her own, the conflicting emotions of ever trusting anyone, and, lastly, the confusion about how she felt about him. __

_Go now_, she warned after telling her story, wincing at the shocked look on his scarred, handsome face_. Before my daughter gets too attached and you leave her heartbroken. _

Somehow he regained the power of speech._ Only she would be heartbroken?_

She wiped her eyes. _You know the answer to that, Yamucha. I just though you should know what you're getting into before you things go any further…_

Her eyes widened as she saw him kneel in front of her in the soft sand, the ocean behind them and the stars twinkling high in the sky. He started rummaging through his pocket. _I don't care if you're a vampire, witch, or an alien from outer space. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You and Videl. You're both the most important things in my life and I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had with you for anything._

_What are you doing? _Her breath caught in her throat.

_Just thought I'd make it official. If you'll have me that is. This is how we propose marriage on Earth, _he whispered pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it onto her finger. _It would be cool to married to an alien, _he said in a soft voice. _It would be like a new age version of B*Witched. _

She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but they would figure it out together. Basil found herself crying and gazing down at the impressive engagement ring. She had finally opened her heart to someone, someone who could accept her for who she was. 

_It's about time, _A new voice said at the door. Basil turned to see her eight year old daughter and her fiancée's best friends.

You're telling me. He's only been planning to ask her for months. Do you know pathetic it was to see him proposing to the mirror every morning? Kuririn teased.

Videl nodded gravely. So sad. Hey, does this mean you're going to be my Papa then? Her eyes were so hopeful, Yamucha almost cried himself. He nodded, ignoring the lump in his throat as she ran into his arms. Kuririn and Puar smiled from the background and Roshi tried to squeeze Basil in one of her last moments as a single woman. Despite that, Basil hoped she would remember this moment forever.

It was hard to leave her old memories and fears behind.

But it was happiest goodbye of all.

*

**763 AD**

Videl sat down Indian style in the soft grass, her hands clasped together in front of her as if she were praying. Her eyes were closed and her head was bowed humbly in front of her, her hair flowing gently in the breeze. The sun felt good on her skin and the smell of flowers tickled her nose. She felt lucky to have this huge open field all to herself, as it sat just behind her house. Her home had been built just across the water from Kame House and was located far enough from the city to have the peace Basil yearned for, but close enough for her to get to school every day.

_Concentrate, _she heard Roshi whispering to her_. Clear your mind of all outside distractions. Listen only to the beating of your heart._

_Lub-dub._

_Lub-dub._

_Lub-dub._

_Now concentrate your energy. Feel it burning deep inside of you. Now try to bring it out._

When she held her hands out, a small glowing ball of energy emerged. She opened her eyes and grinned when she looked at her handy work. Grandpa Roshi had been teaching her the basics of ki manipulation and she had learned the first step in less than forty eight hours. He didn't want to teach her any _ki_ moves at first, but after she had executed a _Kamehameha_ wave after just watching him do it, he decided he would teach her for fear of getting blown up if he refused. Her mother wasn't entirely pleased with the idea of her daughter learning to use _ki_, due to the destruction she could accomplish if at full power, but Yamucha convinced her that Videl would use her powers for good and only good. She had relented after he reminded her that she could already manipulate ki to fly, which Basil had taught her how to do some years before. Videl promised her mother to use her power to protect, not to destroy or harm.

… except to maybe blow up some of those boys who annoyed her at school…

Videl let the small _ki_ ball dissipate in her hands as she put her hands behind her head and laid in the cool grass, letting the sun warm her face and bare arms. She closed her eyes, her thoughts wandered to her new training. She had natural abilities, she recalled hearing Roshi telling her mother. She had a sixth sense, which she called her danger sense, that allowed her to anticipate perilous situation. Her other five senses were heightened and her healing abilities were amazing, and with the proper training, she would become one of the strongest on the planet.

Or so Roshi said.

"Hey, your mother has been calling you for ten minutes," a familiar voice called. "She wants you to come in and wash up for dinner." 

Videl opened one blue eye and stared at Kuririn, hovering above her. She wrinkled her nose as her suspicions were confirmed; a woman wearing a short red dress and sneakers stood a few feet away. "Your dad invited both of us to come to dinner," Kuririn explained, pulling a blade of grass out of her hair. "Could you try to be nice to her? She's really very sweet."

Maron was looking confusedly at a large plant by the front of the house. "Hello, Mr. Plant. What's that? You like Maron-chan? Maron-chan likes you too!"

Videl barely refrained from rolling her eyes. She was only almost eleven, but she knew Kuririn was definitely not dating her for her great conversation skills or views on politics. "Whatever," she said quickly, not wanting to offend him. They made their way to the house after Kuririn managed to pull Maron away from the plant, and Videl quickly washed her hands and joined her friends and family at the table.

Basil's keen eyes flickered to her daughter's empty neck. Her pulse quickened and her blood ran cold through her body, making her drop her fork. Her daughter had it on this morning, she was sure. Had she lost it? How had Basil gotten so careless? Why didn't she bother to feel for her daughter's unbounded ki? Oh God, they were probably close now. It wouldn't be long now. It was only a matter of time before… 

"Basil, what's the matter?" Yamucha asked, worriedly. 

Basil shook her head, as if clearing it. "I was thinking. What if you took Videl on a training trip for a few days? She's coming along so well with her training, I think it would be good for her."

Yamucha blinked. "I never thought of it, but sure we could take her—"

"Just you. You take her. It would give you some father-daughter bonding time. You should leave tonight," Basil babbled, the fear rising within her nearly paralyzing. "Okay?"

Videl raised her eyebrows. "Mama, is something the matter?"

"Of course not. Now hurry up and pack your bag," Basil commanded. "You'll be leaving right after dinner." Videl ran quickly up the stairs to her room before her mother burst a blood vessel.

Yamucha looked at her, concerned. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes!" she snapped.

Kuririn looked at the husband and wife, sensing an argument about to arise. "I hate to eat and run, but we have to get going. Dinner was great as usual," he pulled his girlfriend out the door. When Yamucha and he wife fought, it usually meant things got blown up. Usually an innocent bystander.

"Dinner was yum! Bye, Mr. Plant!"

Basil nervously scrubbed at a plate, her hands trembling as she avoided Yamucha's eyes. "What's really going on?" 

"Nothing. I just want some time alone. Is that so wrong? I think I deserve it!" Basil's voice rose slightly, making Videl cower in her room. Basil's grip slipped on the plate, shattering the glass on the linoleum floor.

Yamucha put his hands over hers. "You're right. You do deserve some alone time. Get some sleep, take a hot bath, do something to relax. You look really stressed. Don't worry about the plate. A little bit of crazy glue and I'm sure we can save it…" He started picking up the pieces when she stopped him rather abruptly.

_Some things can't be fixed._

Basil smiled and gave him her word she would try her best to relax when they were gone. As Videl reached to kiss her mother goodbye, Basil grabbed her and held her daughter to her. She stroked her hair, trying to cherish the moment, as if to freeze the second, engraving it into her memory forever. 

"Mama? Let go, you're embarrassing me," she blushed, but made no move remover herself from her mother's embrace. "It's not like you're never going to see me again. You're the one kicking me out!" 

Long after she kissed her husband and daughter goodbye, for what would certainly be the last time, Basil sat the table, her hands folded in front of her.

She waited.

She had nothing to do but wait.

Wait to live, wait to fight, wait to die, wait for an absolution which would never come...

Miles away, Videl squirmed uneasily in her tent. Her danger sense had been tingling every so often for the past hour and it was making her irritable. Something was terribly wrong.

"What's the matter?" Yamucha asked softly, feeling her forehead. "Do you feel sick?"

Truthfully, she did. The sense of dread in her heart wracked her whole body with an intensity she had never felt before. She was trembling and sweating, and felt as if she were on the verge of unconsciousness and the living world. She so cold that if was if ice flowed through her veins straight to her heart. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she whispered, another wave of nausea hitting her as she leaned against her father. Her hands went to her neck out of pure habit, hoping the comfort of the familiar charm would ease her pain. Her tremulous hands groped desperately the empty space. "No, no, no…"

"What's wrong? Videl? Videl!" Yamucha shook her slightly. "Tell me what's wrong!"

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath them. The sky turned dark and dirt, soil, and debris came flying at their tent. The black sky lit up brilliantly, wracking the fragile earth with tremors that knocked Yamucha and Videl over. "An earthquake?" Yamucha wondered, covering Videl with his body to shield her from the flying stones.

"No… no… no," Videl kept repeating, struggling to get out his hold. She needed to be near her mother. Her mother was okay. Everything was okay. She needed to see her right now.

"VIDEL!" Her father called to her as she flew out into the storm of power. "VIDEL!!!"

Videl flew on, ignoring the stinging of her eyes, face, and hands. Pebbles assaulted her skin, the small cuts burning her skin and tearing her shirt. The air was thick and murky and it was nearly impossible to breath. She landed as close as she could to her house, sighing with relief as she spotted her mother. Why was she so powered up? It was reckless and dangerous to emit that kind of power. That's what she always said, wasn't it? 

And who were the strangers standing in front of her mother wearing queer blue outfits? "I won't let you hurt my family," she heard her mother say in a hard voice. "I won't be intimidated by you any longer." 

"Mama," Videl whispered, willing her legs to move, but found she was unable to. "What are you doing?"

Basil took a deep breath before powering up beyond limitation. _I do this for you, Videl. Please understand._

Videl blinked.

And her mother was gone.

Gone.

There one moment, with her proud head held up high, and gone the next, leaving a crater in the ground and a permanent scar on so many lives. Gone, as the sacrificial blast had taken not only her mother, but the three warriors with her. Everything everywhere was empty, sad… and gone. 

Videl, wracked with shock, walked towards fallout area which had once been her house. She numbly fell to her knees as she felt Yamucha run towards her. He was stopped dead in his tracks, however, at power overflowed through her and created a energy field like he had never seen. Ablaze in a sea of gold and stray bolts of energy, her shoulders shook as she dug her fingers into the ground. Yamucha could only watch sadly as the tears, nearly tiny balls of energy themselves, flowed constantly from his stepdaughter's eyes and splashed against the ground.

Pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

The sudden training trip.

Her anxious mother.

The lost necklace.

The three strangers.

"It should have been me," she whispered, her vision blurring. Her body was filled with pain and her cuts were bleeding freely, but all she felt was an overwhelming numbness and pain consumed her being. "It was my fault. All my fault…"

Yamucha, unable to get close to his daughter, tried calling out to her. "Videl, tell me what happened, please—" his voice was breaking.

"I broke everything," her voice was getting stronger and she stood up, her power reaching limits Yamucha's himself never could, never could even dream possible for anyone. He had to gape as her hair began flickering between its natural dark color and a brilliant, almost white gold. 

Black and gold.

Black and gold.

Black.

Black.

Her hair flicked gold one final time and her eyes turned an icy blue, filled with the pools of her tears.

Time stopped and the only sound was the crackling of energy and the breaking of hearts.

"MAMA!!!"

And when time started again, Videl found herself falling into a hole of black and obscurity.

And maybe, just maybe, if she was lucky, she would never climb back out.

*

**763 AD**

"The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in the green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake…" The priest's voice barely registered in Videl's thoughts as she, Yamucha, Kuririn, Puar, and Roshi, dressed in their best black clothes with black arm bands wrapped around their right biceps, stood around a small grave. 

_Mama would have wanted me to wear a dress, _she said in a deceptively composed voice to her father the night before as she laid out the long sleeved, knee length dress. The most surprising thing of all was her now short pixie style hair, which Videl herself had cut. Yamucha had found her in the bathroom the night before, scissors in hand, her lovely dark locks painting the bathroom tiles. Nothing surprised him more than her answer to his question of why she had done it.

_I didn't like the reflection I saw when I looked in the mirror._

Videl looked so skeletal, so diminutive. Her skin and lips were sallow and pallid; the only coloring on her face was the dark circles beneath her emotionless blue eyes. Kuririn held on to her left hand squeezing tightly, as if afraid she would float away. She hadn't eaten or slept in over three days. She had just sat on her mother's bed, staring out the window, as if waiting for her to come home. Yamucha had pleaded for her to eat something or to at least get some sleep, but she just sat there quietly, unable to tear her eyes away from the backyard.

Then, on the fourth day, out of the blue, Videl asked if she could choose the epithet on Basil's grave. Yamucha wasn't going to deny her request, of course, but he was curious to know why she wanted to all of a sudden.

_Mama would have wanted me to._

The grave marker was undersized, but the small epithet spoke to the warriors in volumes:

_Warm summer sun, shine kindly here;   
Warm southern wind, blow softly here;   
Green sod above, lie light, lie light.-   
Good-night, dear heart, good-night._

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies," Yamucha put his arm around his daughter, trying to comfort her even though he himself was trembling and trying to hold back his tears. 

But she didn't deserve to be comforted.

It was her fault her mother was dead.

And nothing anyone said would ever change that.

_It should have been me._

_It should have been me._

_It should have been me._

"Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

Yamucha would move them to Kame House at Roshi and Kuririn's insistence not long after Basil's death. He would feel so grateful they wanted to help raise his daughter, something he wasn't sure he could do himself. When she wasn't sullen and withdrawn, she would have excruciating anxiety attacks that could last for hours on end. She would start crying and hyperventilating, not to mention sweating and trembling. A few times she would almost faint. He would take her to the doctor, who would prescribe antidepressants that she would probably have to take on and off for the rest of her life. He will suggest that she go to a grief counselor, who, three consecutive sessions and thousands of dollars later, will figure out that she was sad because her mother had died.

"…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord..."

Videl leaned against her stepfather, unable to hold herself up anymore.

"Forever."

*

**771 A.D.**

Videl sighed as she pulled a white tank top over her head, scrutinizing herself in the mirror. The white material strained painfully against her chest, clinging to her every curve and outlining the lace material of her bra.

The hormonal boys in school (not to mention the perverted older one that lived in the house) would have a FIELD day with that.

Somehow, most of her shirts seemed at least two sizes smaller than they were last week. "I am never letting Uncle Kuririn do the wash EVER again," she muttered, one step away from going back to her junior high ritual of taping her boobs. 

She was still pale, but not in a sickly way. Her ice blue eyes were round, bright, and sharp, framed with lovely dark lashes. Her hair was once again long, hanging like a curtain of black silk past her shoulder blades. It was a sure sign of recovery, Yamucha decided years earlier. The guilt was slowly fading and she could finally look at herself in the mirror without breaking down into hysterics. The first few months after her mother's death were rocky, as she teetered between the fragile lines of sanity and madness, but she was strong, physically and mentally, and with help from her father, uncle, and grandfather she was… well, she wasn't okay. 

But she would be.

She stripped off the shirt and found a decent purple and white one that was at least a few sizes bigger than her Barbie sized ones. Videl picked up her blue book bag and walked to the kitchen, surprised to see that no one was around. She looked at her refrigerator, rolling her eyes at the note that stated that everyone went food shopping and that Yamucha had made her lunch, which was on the counter. Without a second thought, she picked up the lunch bag and threw it into the garbage.

"I love him dearly, but his food could be classified as a lethal weapon." Videl quickly made herself a few sandwiches and threw several chocolate pudding snacks into her bag. As she slid on her jacket, an apple lodged between her teeth, she heard what sounded like the ocean around her house exploding. She ran out of the door, the apple dropping out of her mouth and rolling to the side as she saw a huge spacecraft bobbing up and down in the water. 

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?! Oh my God, I think I'm having hunger induced insanity," she decided rubbing her eyes. It was only seven in the morning as there was a SPACESHIP in her ocean. "I need to get more sleep. No more staying up all night studying," she decided. The three strong ki signatures she felt were unmistakable. But what did they want?

"Augh, remind me never to let Prince Trunks drive… ever," A tall, bald man wearing black spandex and lightly colored armor stepped out of the ship. "Are we here?"

Another tall man with spiked up black hair and cold dark eyes swept his gaze over the island. Younger. Gorgeous. _Dangerous_. "Well, these are the coordinates you gave me. Unless, of course, you botched up another mission. Sure you got the right girl this time, Nappa?"

"SHUT UP, GOHAN! Blame your idiotic uncle for the last slip up!"

Videl blinked as a shorter boy with light hair jumped out of the ship and onto the sand. "Can you two argue later? I want to meet Videl."

Videl's blood froze in her veins. How did they know her name? "Excuse me," she said in a deceivingly calm voice. Oh God, those weren't tails. They couldn't possibly be tails… "This is a private island," her voice took on a hard edge. "And if you don't want to be arrested for trespassing, I suggest you take your spaceship and be on your way."

Three heads snapped in her direction. The shorter one smiled widely. "Guys, we found her!"

"So it seems," Gohan murmured.

Videl took a deep breath. "I'm going to be late for school, so if you'll excuse me—" she started to walk off when she felt the bald one hold her by her wrist. 

"You're not going anywhere," he said darkly. 

"If you value your life, I suggest you let go of me," Videl thought she was being rather mature, giving him fair warning and all. When he tightened his grip, she turned her back to him, elbowing him none to gently in the ribs with her other arm. When he grabbed both of her arms, she slammed her head into his and flipped neatly out of his arms.

The man wiped his bleeding lip. "You little bitch."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she smirked, clearly unafraid. "Now leave. Don't make me say it a third time, or you're going to be very sorry." Man, she had a good poker face. It was three on one and from the energy signals were was getting she knew that she probably didn't have a chance, she would damn well go down fighting! She felt the purple haired one grab her and began to hold her arms back (_my GOD he's strong for a kid_) and the taller teenager approached her with what looked like a needle. She desperately tried to struggle out of the grip, but to no avail. "LET ME GO!!!"

The black haired one, Gohan, approached her, his face lacking any expression. She felt a small pricking on her arm and suddenly her eyelids felt very heavy. _Don't fall asleep, don't… "Sleep now," she heard a voice above her say almost tenderly and someone brushed the hair away from her forehead._

For now she would do just that. She would be enveloped in a velvety darkness, wrapped around her like an old lover, sleep becoming an escape from her imminent fate.

Consciousness was suddenly something to fear.

**_Preview of Chapter 3___**

"She looks okay to me," said one of the other warriors, the one with spiky, gravity defying hair. Gohan, her brain reminded her. His name is Gohan. For one bizarre moment, he reminded her of Bart Simpson. "What's the problem?"

"What's my _problem_?" Videl's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "_This_ is my problem!" she pointed to her tail, which was twitching cutely. "You people _spliced my genes_ or something and now I have a tail! It's like a bad episode of Pinky and the BRAIN! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME!?" 

She was still quite off from the regeneration tank and everything was happening so fast that it didn't occur to her that her mother had once told her she was born with a tail. Dogs had tails. Bunnies had tails. _Rats_, for the love of all that was good and holy, had tails, but not _people_.

The tall teenager sneered at her. He seemed to tower over her as he spoke down to her, literally and figuratively. "You were born with a tail, but it was removed shortly after you were born. The human/Saiyajin hybrid DNA that was used to restore you to full strength has initiated its regrowth," his voice had a condescending tone which made Videl want to punch him. Hard.

"Listen, you pompous asshole—" she snapped.

"There's a full moon every month on Earth, Gohan," the woman interrupted patiently, as if talking to a child. "I think it was intelligent of her mother to remove it. Listen dear, I'll start from the beginning. Did your mother tell you _anything_ about the Saiyajins?"

Videl looked around at the people in the room. Armor, tails, regeneration tanks and complex technology… probably stolen… from other… planets they… purged… She backed up slowly from the group, a horrified look on her face. She shouldn't have been surprised. The cause of her nightmares and her anguish, her tears and losses, were standing right in front of her plain as day. 

"You're kidding. I couldn't… possibly be on…" She couldn't say it. Saying it would make it too real. She had to be dreaming. Videl clenched her eyes shut, willing away the scene, hoping against all hopes to wake up and be back in her warm, safe bed. She would be listening to Kuririn and Yamucha arguing over who would make breakfast, Puar trying to calm everyone down and Roshi trying to sneak one of her bras out of her drawer. Her eyes snapped open and widened in fear as she realized that she was painfully awake

It was her worst nightmare come true.


	4. Chapter 3: Home

**Chapter 3- Home (Beauty and the Beast)**

_What I'd give to return to the life that I knew lately  
But I know that I can't solve my problems going back  
Is this home? Am I here for a day or forever?  
Shut away, from the world until who knows when?  
Oh but then, has my life has been altered once it can change again  
Build higher walls around me, change every lock and key  
Nothing lasts, nothing holds all of me  
My hearts far, far away,  
                        Home and free._

_---_

_The air in the cryptic swamp was musty, heavy, humid and damp. Mosquitoes buzzed noisily in her ears and small creatures scurried in search of shelter from the rain. The ground was soft and wet beneath her feet. Slowly... slowly... she was sinking into the ground, her gold tipped boots becomes filthy with mud, scoffed by the small, sharp pebbles that lay in a stream. She jumped back onto her snow white horse, adjusting her bright blue armor to better fit her lithe body, brushing her long, soiled rain soaked hair out of her eyes. _

_Looking, gazing, searching... for a clearing. An exit. A light. She had an unknown purpose. Something she must do. A conquest. Revenge. Vengeance. Retribution._

_Blood seeks blood._

_Fire... blood... ashes... _

_Where was she going? Where was she coming from? What was she doing? It was all so unclear._

_It was dark, so very dark. _

_The long green vines seemed to notice her lack of reaction. They mocked her. Laughing... laughing... always laughing. _

_Hesitance. Cautious._

_They wrapped their long limbs around her... choking... suffocating... no air._

_No exit. No light._

_Can't-breathe-must-breathe-have-to-breathe-no-air-no-air-no-air_

_She heard her horse cry out in surprise as the plants sliced through her indestructible armor. She felt their slimy limbs all over her skin, over her mouth, silencing her screams. _

_It was hot, so unbearably scorching. _

_Crushing._

_Fire._

_Ash._

_Darkness._

---

Videl opened her eyes immediately to discover that an oxygen mask was smothering her cries. She looked down as much as she could in this restricted area and saw that many long, metal wires were attached her head, arms and legs.  She was floating, too, in what looked like one of the tall and narrow water tanks that magicians chain themselves in and then "magically" escape. Except this was most definitely _not Circus Circus_ and she doubted Houdini could escape from this place. She had to admit it was slightly comforting; the liquid was thick and warm and she felt no pain. As she blinked a few times, her eyesight returned slowly and she spotted her very bare, milky white shoulder. Her eyes then flickered to the corner of the large white room, spotting a familiar looking pair of pants and shirt... and... bra... 

"Her brain waves are fluctuating at an alarming rate. Drain the tank now," a hazy voice commanded. "Hurry up!"

She felt the water draining from the tank and the oxygen mask being pulled from her face, just as the voice had commanded.  Videl noticed distractedly that the many wires were bunched around her midsection, thighs, and waist in a poor attempt to preserve her modesty. Thankfully her long hair had given her chest somewhat of coverage. Not only had these... these... things, for lack of better description, accosted her on her island and kidnapped her, but they had the nerve, the _gall_, to take off her **_clothes_**?

"She's so pretty," someone said in a pleasant, tenor voice.  Through her blurry vision she noticed that it was a young man, maybe a bit younger than herself, with strangely colored lavender hair.  "I'm in awe." 

"How about your fiancée?" another voice asked flippantly.  "I don't think she would like you talking about another woman." 

"Oh, she's really pretty too. But it's the allure of the half-breed, you know. We're irresistible."

"Someone get her some clothes," a buxom woman, also with unusual colored  hair (blue, this time), floated into her field of vision.  The warriors scrambled to obey her command; perhaps she was their evil queen.  She didn't sounds very evil, however, as she typed rapidly at a small computer connected to the tank and asked, "Can you hear me, dear?"

The regeneration tank was opened and unfamiliar looking clothes were thrust at her.  Videl blinked at the woman, down at the clothes, and then at the three young men who were currently staring at her, as scantily covered as she was.  "Boys," the woman commanded.  "You're dismissed." 

They all looked fairly disappointed, but at the woman's fierce gaze, they turned to leave.   Videl wished more then anything she could wipe the arrogant smirks off their faces, knock the amusement out of their voices as they spoke lightly upon retreating.  More than anything, though, she wished she could formulate a coherent thought.  She was still a bit discombobulated and the room was beginning to feel as if it were closing in on her.  

 "Where am I?" Videl asked finally.  It killed her to hear the weakness in her tone, the defeat in her voice.  She stared at the floor, unable to stop the cold that shot through her like a bullet.  She had been beaten.

"Dress first," the pleasant woman turned her back.  Privacy, Videl noted.  How ironic. "Ask questions later."

Not seeing much of a choice, she began to slip the strange clothes on carefully.  She  pulled her arms through a white, sleeveless spandex top easily, but as she went to pull the blue spandex pants up her hips, she fell to the floor almost immediately.   When she tried to right herself, she found that her balance was severely off, originating with an extra weight at her backside.  

She stood slowly, took a deep breath and gazed apprehensively behind her.  Ah.  That was the problem.  There was a tail. It was cat-like, long and slim, light brown, and kind of cute.  Well, it would have been cute if it had not been _attached_ to her. Still cute, though.  _I guess that explains the hole in the spandex pants_ --   

_Wait_, the rational part of Videl's mind screamed. _How are you being so calm!? You have a _tail_. Attached to you. Prepare meltdown in three… two… one…_  

"AHHHH!" Videl closed her eyes and let out a bloodcurdling scream. The three warriors that had left only moments before ran back into the room at a blinding speed and the blue haired woman rushed over to her.

"Are you injured?" asked the woman, checking her over frantically.  "The effects of the regen tank should have worn off by now – "

"She looks okay to me," said one of the other warriors, the one with spiky, gravity defying hair.  For one bizarre moment, he reminded her of Bart Simpson.  "What's the problem?"

"What's my _problem_?" Videl's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "_This_ is my problem!" she pointed to her tail, which was twitching cutely. "You people _spliced my genes_ or something and now I have a tail! It's like a bad episode of Pinky and the BRAIN! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME!?" 

She was still quite off from the regeneration tank and everything was happening so fast that it didn't occur to her that her mother had once told her she was born with a tail. Dogs had tails. Bunnies had tails. _Rats_, for the love of all that was good and holy, had tails, but not _people_.

The tall teenager sneered at her.  He seemed to tower over her as he spoke down to her, literally and figuratively. "You were born with a tail, but it was removed shortly after you were born.  The human/Saiyajin hybrid DNA that was used to restore you to full strength has initiated its regrowth," his voice had a condescending tone which made Videl want to punch him. Hard.

"Listen, you pompous asshole—" she snapped.

"There's a full moon every month on Earth, Gohan," the woman interrupted patiently, as if talking to a child.  "I think it was intelligent of her mother to remove it. Listen dear, I'll start from the beginning. Did your mother tell you _anything_ about the Saiyajins?"

Videl looked around at the people in the room.  Armor, tails, regeneration tanks and complex technology… probably stolen… from other… planets they… purged… She backed up slowly from the group, a horrified look on her face. She shouldn't have been surprised. The cause of her nightmares and her anguish, her tears and losses, were standing right in front of her plain as day. 

"You're kidding. I couldn't… possibly be on…" She couldn't say it. Saying it would make it too real. She had to be dreaming. Videl clenched her eyes shut, willing away the scene, hoping against all hopes to wake up and be back in her warm, safe bed.  She would be listening to Kuririn and Yamucha arguing over who would make breakfast, Puar trying to calm everyone down and Roshi trying to sneak one of her bras out of her drawer. Her eyes snapped open and widened in fear as she realized that she was painfully awake

It was her worst nightmare come true.

"That's right," the bald one injected, poking unconsciously at some of the injuries she had given to him earlier. Videl smirked in satisfaction as he winced. "You are on Vegeta-sei. We did you a favor by taking you from your pathetic mudball planet to this obviously superior one. This is where you belong and this is where you will stay."

The purple haired one sighed and pushed a long red velvet cape off of his shoulders. "You have no sense of delicacy, do you Nappa?" He smiled at her, eyes blue eyes shining kindly. "It's okay," he said soothingly taking a step towards her, stopping as she took a step back. "You're safe here."

Videl wanted to laugh. She also wanted to cry. Mostly she wanted to kick that guy Gohan's ass for the way he was smirking at her confusion and pain. He seemed to get off on her grief and sorrow. She had only known him for minutes, hours at most, but she hated him already.

_What a bastard. _

"Excuse me, your majesties," a small voice started timidly. Videl looked down to see a girl about her age bowing in front of the blue haired woman and the purple haired boy. "What should I do with this bag?" 

Videl recognized her dark blue messenger bag filled with her laptop, extra clothes, capsules and other assorted things she had been planning on taking to school with her. "It's mine," Videl said quickly.  "I'd like to have it back, please." 

The girl handed the bag to Videl, her dark eyes filled with fright. "Um, thank you very much for returning this to me,"  Videl said a bit awkwardly. The girl looked at Videl strangely before bowing once more and exiting the room quickly. "Now. I have a few questions that I need answers to, right now."

"But of course you do, dear," the blue haired woman sat down in a chair, crossing her legs. "But first, I think an introduction is in order."

Videl scowled. "Do you think this is really an appropriate time for introductions? You psychos kidnapped me from my house, from my _planet_. I don't care if your names are Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock and I'm currently on the _Enterprise_. I just want to get out here as soon as possible."

"I am Bulma, Queen of the Saiyajins," the blue haired woman smiled brightly, ignoring her totally. "Although you might remember me as—"

"BULMA BRIEFS?!" Videl's mouthed dropped to the floor. "THE Bulma Briefs? Heiress to the Capsule Corporation dynasty, daughter of Dr. Briefs, who invented the first capsule? Bulma Briefs, who mysteriously disappeared twenty something years ago and was never heard from since?" Videl shook her head, laughing in spite of his situation. She shifted her weight back and forth, getting a feel for her new appendage. "Congratulations, Bulma. This is the last place in the universe anyone would ever look for you."

Nappa growled. "You will address her as Queen Bulma."

"Listen Stone Cold," Videl flipped her long hair behind her shoulder, realizing seconds later he probably wouldn't get her reference to the bald, oversized wrestler. Sigh. Her humor was wasted on these people. "She isn't _my queen. I'll address her as I please."_

"Why you little—"

Bulma put her hand up to stop the argument waiting to happen. "It's fine, Nappa. She's obviously very scared, leave it alone." Nappa grumbled. "This is Nappa," she gestured towards the bald man who Videl took an immediate dislike to. "This is Gohan. He and Nappa are guards of the Royal House of Vegeta." Videl had to admit the one called Gohan was rather handsome. _For an overbearing, haughty, homicidal monkey, _she amended. 

"And this is my son, Prince Trunks." The purple haired youth gave her a bright, friendly smile.

Before Videl could say anything, Gohan put his hand up to silence her. "Videl; half earthling, half Saiyajin; age eighteen Earth years; five foot tall; one hundred and seventeen pounds; black hair, blue eyes; current residence is Kame Island; resides with a former baseball player, a former monk, and the master of Kamesennin-ryu; occupation, student at Orange Star high school; future career, undecided."

_Oh, rub it in that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. What is he, my guidance counselor? _"You know more about me then I know about myself." Videl stared at him, a chill running down her spine. "It's just like Big Brother, except Big Brother just happens to be a bunch of aliens."

"Now that that's over with, why don't we go meet the rest of the cabinet and we can talk calmly about this," Bulma pushed Videl out of the room, the three warriors following. They walked through what seemed like a maze of long white hallways, finally coming to large golden doors guarded by two men, also in armor.  They saw the queen and prince and instantly opened the doors. 

For a second, the sheer beauty of the room took Videl's breath away. It looked like something out of a museum with its elaborate paintings and tapestries. A rectangular table in the middle of the room was filled with, what Videl presumed were, the members of the cabinet. At the head was the king, she supposed, dressed elaborately and narrowing his cold, dark eyes. There were assorted men, women and children seated around the table, all of whom were sporting shocked looks.  Some mouths were agape and one man actually gasped upon seeing her. 

However, nobody looked particularly overjoyed to see her.

"It's unreal," one whispered. "She looks just like her."

"Except for her eyes. But still, it's like seeing a ghost," another one whispered.

Videl noticed one man with a long ponytail staring particularly hard at her. His gaze was so intense that she was tempted to look away for a moment, but met his eyes. She raised her eyebrows as a silent challenge but he just laughed it off. 

"She may be more like her mother then we thought," he said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

 Videl glared at the warrior, wondering what exactly his relation to her mother was. "Would you like to find out?" Videl asked calmly, her fists clenching at her sides.

The man just shared a look with his fellow Saiyajins and winked at them as if sharing a private joke only they knew the punch line to. 

"Is it really her?" Another whispered. He looked kind and open, unlike most of the other warriors at the table "I mean, is it really you? Are you really the daughter of Basil?" He was gripping the table so hard it looked like it was about to collapse under his hands. A petite woman with a tight bun on top of her head put her hand over his, trying to calm him down.

Videl crossed her arms over her chest, holding her head up proudly. "That's right, I am."

There were more hushed murmurs and whispers before Vegeta cleared his throat loudly. "I'm sure you're wondering why you've been brought here."

"The question has crossed my mind once or twice, yes," her sarcasm had gone unnoticed by the king, but Gohan gave her a look that would have made lesser women cry. She rolled her eyes at him, unimpressed. He really needed to get a life.

"You've been brought here to fight in our army," the king said. 

"I've been brought here to WHAT?!" 

"We know of your power, girl," the king stood quickly, his scarlet cape sweeping the ground. "We know how you can… can…" the king grimaced, pained. "Can ascend."

Videl looked at the king evenly. "So I've been drafted. Lovely. As for the ascending, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. Ascend to what, exactly?"

Vegeta stopped his pacing and glared at her. "Don't play dumb, child. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Ascending to Super Saiyajin, the transformation of the legendary warrior." His left eyebrow twitched at her blank look. "Your hair and eyes become light and your power level goes up a hundred fold. We have proof."

_Proof? What proof?  "Super Saiyajin? Never heard of it," Videl said casually. "You must have me confused with someone else." A pause and then, "And if you knew I could become this, 'Super Saiyajin', why wait until now to roll out the red carpet and 'invite' me to this lovely planet?"_

Bulma could see her husband's patience wearing thin; steam was practically pouring out his ears. "Well, you see Videl, we've been tracking you for some time now. For awhile we couldn't find any trace of you two on Earth," Bulma noticed the pleased smile that graced Videl's face, "But eight years ago there was a slight change in the readings we were getting on Earth."

"Slight?"

Bulma nodded. "You used to have a necklace that your mother gave you, right? That necklace was an incredibly high tech device to hide _ki_. When you were ten, you lost it didn't you?" Without waiting for an answer, Bulma continued. "We were able to narrow in on your location. We sent three troops to come to _peacefully_ bring you and your mother back to Vegeta but…" Bulma looked sad for a moment as the room was plunged in dead silence. 

Videl's face remained neutral. "You can say it, _Queen_ Bulma," her voice was tight. "You cornered my mother into a wall. You forced her to kill herself," Videl leaned against a wall, her voice strangely apathetic. "She would have rather died by her own hand than yours, I suppose. I guess she knew since I fucked up and lost my necklace, you guys would be coming. Even then I was close with my mother and though I hadn't perfected my _ki_ reading, I knew when it was there and when it… wasn't." 

"To answer your question," Bulma swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to ignore the guilty feeling gnawing in her stomach. "It my request that you wouldn't be taken to Vegeta until now. The fact that you are now eighteen years of age takes care of the legal end of this since you are considered an adult on Earth. "

"This is still kidnapping, regardless of my age," Videl wondered why she even bothered to argue with these people. Although most people on earth thought Bulma was either dead or lost in the Bermuda triangle, her father still had more connections and power then Bill Gates and if Yamucha had taught her anything, it was when money talks, even alien kidnappers walk.

"I wanted to give you the chance to live a normal life on earth before coming here to train. You have to understand that we waited until the last possible minute because I wanted to give you the chance—"

Videl laughed bitterly, turning towards the queen, feeling more betrayed by her then anyone else. "What? The chance that you never had?" Bulma couldn't bring herself to look at the young woman. "Don't you understand by bringing here you took away any chance I had at living at so called normal life? I won't get the graduate high school, I probably won't go to college, and who knows if I'll even be alive after this war? I'm glad you deluded yourself into thinking that you 'gave me a chance', so that you could live with yourself, but you know what? With Saiyajin blood flowing through my veins, maybe I never had a chance to begin with."

Vegeta looked solemn, the closest he would probably ever get to remorse. "It wasn't our intention to kill her, you know. We didn't exactly send the most experienced or intelligent warriors there to retrieve you, so that was indeed our fault.  I do deeply apologize for the loss that we have caused you." Vegeta's head snapped in Videl's direction as soft laughter was heard from her place by the wall. "What is so amusing?"

"Your 'heartfelt' apology was a nice touch, _King_ Vegeta," Videl continued to laugh, louder this time. "But you are truly a fool if you think that pretty words and an apology are going to get me to stay here and trust you." Her lip curled up into a sneer. "Don't you understand I want nothing to do with you people?" Her voice was raising with every new sentence she managed to get out. "You are nothing to me. You hold no ties to me. You just expect me to roll over and play lapdog to the man who ordered my mother's death? You're crazier than I thought."

Gohan jumped up in his seat, his hands slamming against the table. "How dare you talk to King Vegeta like that!" He was about to go over to her and teach her exactly why she should respect the king when he felt his grandfather's powerful hands on his shoulders, forcing him to sit. "Grandfather why--?" Bardock gestured towards Gohan's father Kakkarot, who was gazing confusedly at Videl.

"You'll just upset him more. Leave her to the king," Gohan heard the finality in his grandfather's voice and didn't put up any more of a fight. He growled and crossed his arms over his broad chest. 

"This is not negotiable, girl," Vegeta walked over to her place by the wall, staring her straight in the eye. She turned her head in defiance. "There are guards by every exit of this castle and it is impossible to get off of this planet. But I have a feeling you're just as crafty and astute as your mother was, so let me make this so perfectly clear  even a silly girl like yourself could comprehend. If you manage to get off this planet, I will be forced to become the heathen, planet purging, monster you accuse me of being."

Videl's head snapped forward, her sapphire eyes blazing. "What do you mean?"

Vegeta grabbed her chin none too gently and pulled her ear towards the direction of his mouth. "I won't hesitate to blow up your pretty little planet and the people on it. And you know what I always say," Vegeta smirked. Videl fought the urge to spit in his face. "A good planet is a terrible thing to waste." 

Videl couldn't stop herself as she reeled her arm back to slap him in the face. His hand caught her mid-air and instead of looking angry, he looked terribly pleased with himself. "I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Damn kid, you're just like her."

Videl ripped her arm out of his hold. "My mother had a few colorful things to say about you as well, Vegeta."

Vegeta nodded, that damnable smirk covering half his face. "Yes, and if I had a heart, it would be breaking."

"I hate you," she swore, her breaths coming out in pants. She was white hot with anger and even though she had done a decent job to mask her ki, she felt ready to explode. It almost frightened her how much she wanted to kill him right there and then. Vegeta smirked amusedly at the sound of her growl under her breath. "I don't know how my mother ever could have liked living under this dictatorship. You're all horrible people who don't care about anyone or anything."

"I'll show you to your room dear," Bulma volunteered, reaching towards Videl's shoulder to lead her out of the room. Videl pulled back as if she were burned and stormed out of the room, unable to stand being in the same room with Vegeta and Gohan any longer. 

Vegeta stared at the members of the board, a knowing smile on his face. "So, what do you think?"

"She's suppressing a tremendous amount of power," Bardock strummed his fingers on the table. "She would be a vital ally if you could ensure her cooperation."

Gohan snorted. "I think she's more trouble then she's worth. Did you see how she talked to King Vegeta? What a brat."

Kakkarot snickered, unable to hide his laughter. "Just like when we were kids. She's so much like her mother it's creepy. Basil was never very good at following orders and she _especially_ didn't like King Vegeta. Only he was still the prince back then."

Celipa, one of the only female elites sitting at the table, seemed very impressed with Videl. "I like her," she ran a hand through her short spiky hair. "Okay, so she has a little authority problem, but who didn't at that age?"

"Me," Gohan replied.

"Well that's because you're boring, Gohan!" Celipa smacked him playfully on the back. "All you ever do is study and work on the computer. You're getting lax with your training; even your grandfather says so." Bardock threw his crewmate an amused look.

"She'd make the perfect training partner for you, dear nephew," Radditz gave Gohan a lecherous grin that was characteristic of him. "And who knows, she may help you train in more ways then one."

Goten, Gohan's younger brother, looked up at his uncle, a confused look on his innocent face. "How else could she help Gohan train?"

"Forget it," Bardock shot his son a look. "What do you think of her, Goten? Think she's up to standard for your big brother?" Gohan closed his eyes, pretending not to hear his grandfather's teasing.

Goten put a finger to his lip. "She's really, really pretty, but I don't think she likes us very much. She was giving everyone an _evil_ look, like we were bad people," Goten pouted. "Are we bad people?"

 "Only a little, Goten," Goten beamed at his uncle's response.  

"Big brother, why _doesn't_ she like us?" Goten looked sad for a moment. "She's just like you, me, Prince Trunks, and Princess Bra."

Gohan sat back in his chair, an undecipherable look on his face. "Although we are of the same mixture of races, our hearts are not identical. Some carry eternal scars and marks that can never be erased."

_Or maybe, Bardock thought as his grandson excused himself from the table. __You're more alike than you think._

---

Elsewhere in the castle, Bulma was showing Videl to her room, which was located on the second floor. Bulma took time to point out where everyone else was staying and Videl found Kakkarot, his wife and Goten had a suite to themselves on the same floor as she. Many of the other warriors also lived on the second floor with lavish bedrooms to suit their own style. Videl had to admit that Bulma picked a beautiful room for her. It had creamy white walls, plush lavender carpeting, white lace curtains with lavender bows, a large queen sized bed with lavender and white colored satin sheets and pillow cases. A large canopy with lavender chiffon hanging down from it adorned the top of her bed. The room was huge, probably bigger then her whole house on Kame Island, but wasn't home. It was missing her pictures, her clothes, her posters, her essence.

She suddenly felt very, very alone.  

The young women who had taken her bag before was smoothing out her covers and dusting the large white lamps. She looked startled as Videl approached her. Although Videl was a good five inches shorter then her, she looked intimidated. "Hi," Videl said carefully as not to scare the good maid.

"Miss Videl, I was just—" the girl gathered her rags, jumping a good five feet in the air as Videl put her hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," Videl spoke soothingly, as if calming down a frightened animal. "Relax. I won't hurt you. What's your name? How old are you?" She couldn't have been much older then sixteen or seventeen. God, she looked so scared. What had they done to her? 

Her hands trembled. "O-okra," she stuttered, unable to look Videl in the eye. "I am nineteen, Miss Videl."

Videl smiled warmly, gesturing for Okra to sit next to her on a large white couch in the room. When Okra hesitated, Videl frowned. "If you don't sit down and talk to me, I'm going to tell the king," she feigned anger. Okra tentatively sat down next to her. Videl gave her another smile, eyes lighting up when Okra gave her a shy smile back. "So how's life in this castle? Anything I should know?"

Okra twisted the rags in her hands nervously. "Everyone is really very nice."

Videl snorted, throwing the maid a look of disbelief. "Look Okra, you can be totally honest with me. I was just kidding when I said I would go to the king. I want to be your friend, not your master. Friends tell each other the truth."

"F-friends?"

Videl nodded. Okra blushed, a pleased smile lighting up her attractive features. "I've never had a real friend before. I grew up working in this castle. It really isn't so bad," Okra assured her. "Some of the Saiyajins are really nice. Really."

Videl shrugged, stretching out her arms. "If you say so. Say, what do you know about this Cauli guy? He kind of give me the creeps," Videl revealed.

"He's one of King Vegeta's most trusted advisors. He was serving on the board while Elder Vegeta was king."

"He's a shady guy," Videl narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust him at all." Videl's stomach rumbled embarrassingly. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little hungry."

"Dinner will be ready soon, Miss Videl." Okra looked at the clock, jumping up in surprise. "I am sorry, Miss Videl. I must go off and tend to the laundry. Would—would it be alright if I came back to talk with you later?"

Videl nodded happily. "I'll be looking forward to it, Okra." Her stomach rumbled again as she stood up.

_I hope they don't plan on starving me._

Videl shrugged, and absently looked through some of the drawers.  They were full of clothing. She pulled out a sleeveless training shirt, noting the size and how it would fit her well. "Presumptuous, aren't they?"  She wandered around the room, opening a door, which led to her own bathroom. It too was mostly white, but the shower curtain was lavender. There were bath salts and oils of all colors, along with what looked like shampoo and conditioner inside of the shower. "Well, they certainly go all out for their prisoners. I thought they would have locked me in dungeon or something." A hesitant knock on her door broke her out of her thoughts.

"Can—can I come in?" A nervous male voice asked.

"If you must," Videl sat down on her couch once more, crossing her legs.

Kakkarot opened the door and even more hesitantly stepped into her room. He looked uncomfortable to be in a girl's room, afraid he would break or soil something without meaning to. "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier, so I thought—"

"You're Kakkarot, aren't you?" Videl asked, stretching out on an expensive leather couch. Upon seeing his confused face, Videl continued, "My mother told me a lot about you. She said you were her best and most trusted friend.  When I was younger, she used to tell me stories about the things you guys used to do."

"Really?" he perked up. "What did she tell you?" He inched towards the couch and she moved over to let him sit down next to her.

Videl twirled a piece of her long hair around her finger. "She told me about the time you guys went swimming in the lake and your brother stole your clothes and my mother made you wear the extras she brought for herself."

"Good times," Kakkarot's eyes were a bit hazy, as he got lost in the memories. He continued to gaze at the teenage girl sitting next to him in the same dreamlike manner. "I know you've heard this a million times, but you really do resemble your mother. Except your eyes…" He leaned over and put a surprisingly gentle hand on her cheek. He was staring so deeply at her it felt as if he could see right through her. It was unnerving and uncomfortable the way he was gazing at her. He looked so lost in his memories, as if it wasn't her he was looking at, but a different young girl, in a different place, in a different time. 

"My father," Videl offered, wondering why she was even bothering to talk to this man, letting him get this close to her. Sure, he was her mother's childhood friend but she was supposed to hate everyone on this planet. They all hated _her_, didn't they?  But there was something so honest and so real about the way he looked at her, she couldn't help but trust him. As soon as she said this, his hand snapped back as if waking from a dream. 

"What was he like?" Kakkarot wondered out loud, letting go of her face. She couldn't help but notice his slightly hurt look at the mentioning of her father. _Interesting_.

Videl narrowed her eyes at him, all common sense returning. The truth was she didn't know much about her real father. How would that make her mother look? _Like some cheap slut who jumped into bed with the first man who showed interest and took care of her._ "It's none of your business. What difference does it make?"

He nodded, looking guilty. "You're right, I'm sorry. It is none of my business."

Videl stood up, staring out the window of the beautiful room. "Did you have a reason for coming to see me, Kakkarot? You probably shouldn't be so forward and friendly with me. Your son hates me."

Kakkarot blinked rapidly. "Gohan? Don't worry about him. He's had a tough time, so he might come off a little cold. But he's really a very nice boy once you get to know him."

"I don't want to get to know him," Videl grunted. "He's just every other boy on earth. Cocky, conceited, and thinks he knows it all. I _hate_ boys like that."

Kakkarot shook his head, trying to recall why exactly he had sought out the young half-breed. "I actually came here to ask you if you wanted to meet someone special."

Videl cocked her head to the side in confusion, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Someone special? Who?"

"Your uncle, Mint."

Videl gaped at Kakkarot. "What? That's ridiculous. Mom said he was lost on a training trip and died in space."

He shook his head, his eyes smiling at her tenderly. _Maybe if she meets him, it'll make her want to stay_, he thought, watching her ice blue eyes spark with interest. "Everyone thought he was dead, but he was actually detained on Yardrat-sei after his ship broke down. Mint actually learned some awesome techniques—" Kakkarot saw he was losing her interest. "So, do you want to meet him? He's right downstairs."

"Hell yeah!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch. "Come on, Kakkarot!"

Kakkarot laughed, yet again unable to get over the similarities between her and her deceased mother. How it made him feel to see her smile and say his name with laughter in her voice. It was if… he was getting a second chance to see his old friend. And he was going to make sure he didn't screw up, no matter what. He vowed to protect Videl, the way he couldn't protect Basil when he was child. Nothing would ever harm her if he could help it.

They tore down the halls. They stopped short as they reached Bulma standing with a beautiful man with very short dark hair. He was tall and lithe, graceful looking, not hulking. He was wearing black and silver armor and was currently gaping at her, his mouth hanging open. "My God," he whispered finally.

Bulma grinned at Mint. "Mint, this is your niece Videl." Before Videl could say anything to her long lost uncle, he swept her up in his arms. He kept letting go to look at her and then pulling her to him to hug her again. Her feet dangled off the floor, but she just grinned and accepted the hug. All her doubts were erased as her keen Saiyajin nose picked up his scent. He smelled exactly her mother had when she alive. His scent was more masculine, smelling like the sun, the forest and something wild and beautiful she couldn't name, but there was no mistake he was closely related to her mother. He had the same tiny dimple in his left cheek that Basil had possessed, along with a small cleft in his defined chin. 

Videl also couldn't help but look for similarities between her and her uncle. They had the same small, straight slightly upturned nose, not to mention the slightly crooked grin that they were infamous for. His aura radiated such goodness, happiness, excitement and love that shone through her gloomiest and darkest feelings, she couldn't help but get swept up in his hurricane of emotions. 

She liked him already. 

"Hi," Videl managed to get out. "It's nice to meet you."

Mint set the girl down, touching her face and smoothing out her hair. "I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. I always wanted to meet you. You're," his voice caught in his throat, making Videl's heart do funny things. "You're so beautiful. More beautiful then I could have ever imagined."

Kakkarot patted his queen on the soldier as she blew her nose loudly in her handkerchief. Videl's stomach rumbled once more. Her face turned bright red. "I'm sorry, I haven't eaten in hours," she half whined. The adults looked each other and grinned.

"She'll fit in just fine here," Mint put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes, but one has to wonder if that's a good thing?" Bulma joked. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a shower?  Relax for a bit and I'll send Okra up to get you when dinner is ready?"

Videl thanked the queen, walking back to the her room. A hot bath did sound nice, she had to admit, as she stepped into her room. She knew she could use the time to think about what happened that day and maybe try out those bath salts while she was at it. "When in Rome," she shrugged. She closed the door and undressed, tying her hair up.

The door flew open and Gohan entered, without warning, getting an eyeful of the naked girl. His stony expression flickered for a second, but only that. "The Queen told me to get you for dinner," he spoke as if he wasn't addressing a girl who was scrambling for her clothes, half swearing, half yelling at him. He ignored the shoe that flew past his head. "We do have some sort of a dress code, so I suggest you put on some clothes." His head reeled back as a hair brush hit him smack in the face. Just as easily as he slipped in, he slipped out, and joined his father, the King and Mint as they made their way towards the dining room.

"What was all the screaming about?" Mint crossed his arms. 

Vegeta pressed the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. Kakkarot had an awful feeling that his son was somehow involved. If her temper was anything like her mother's… well he honestly felt sorry for his son.

Videl, now fully clothed, Gohan noted with some amusement, flew down the hallway after them.  Her face was flushed with embarrassment and anger as she launched herself at Gohan.  Kakkarot, however, managed to intercept and pulled her arms back.   "Videl!" he admonished as tried to break his grip.  Damn.  She was strong.  "Calm down!"

Videl growled.  She wanted to — to — well she wasn't sure what she was going to do with him, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pretty. "YOU—YOU PERVERT!" she shrieked, struggling out of Kakkarot's hold. He gasped as Videl elbowed him in the stomach but still did not let her go.  He had obligations to protect his son, after all.

"What did you do?" Vegeta asked Gohan, raising an eyebrow at the young half-breed.

Gohan shrugged, looking at amused. Needless to say, Videl was not. "I'll tell you what this LETCH did to me! He fucking saw me NAKED!" Kakkarot nearly let Videl go as his mouth dropped to the ground. Mint had a similar expression on his face, but Vegeta's smirk covered half of his face. In that moment, Videl got free of Kakkarot and stood nose to nose with her adversary. "How DARE YOU! You're disgusting!!! Don't you know how to KNOCK?!"

Gohan shrugged again, not looking very sorry at all. "Well, it's not like there was much to see... Val'de."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! What did you call me?!" 

His dark eyes swept over her condescendingly. "Val'de means weak, frail and… pathetic. I think it fits you perfectly."

That was it. That was the final straw. Videl could only take so much. She was kidnapped, threatened, mocked, seen naked TWICE by these horrible people and insulted by some jerk who thought he was superior to her. Convincing herself the world was better off without him, Videl balled her hand into a fist and punched him so hard that his head lurched backed. Mint quickly put his arms around his niece's waist, before she could do anything more to Gohan. 

"Bastard," she spat, cracking her knuckles as Gohan touched his sore eye. She hoped she had hit him hard enough to leave a bruise. Maybe lose an eye. "Stay out of my way, you little maggot. Next time I won't be so forgiving," Videl twisted out of Mint's arms and stormed back to the kitchen. 

"Gohan," Kakkarot sighed, rubbing his head. "Why didn't you knock?"

"I forgot," Gohan said placidly, blinking his sore eye. "I didn't think she would get so bent out of shape about it. Stupid—" Gohan stopped as he saw the murderous look in Mint's eyes.

Vegeta slapped Gohan in the back of the head. "Earthlings have a severe difficulty dealing with nudity. I suggest you remember that for future reference if you don't want her to castrate you. Maybe that would teach you to think with your head instead of your --" 

Mint cleared his throat. "It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"Maybe if you apologize to her—" Kakkarot suggested, but found he was talking to himself, as the other three warriors had entered the dinning room. "Guess not. Okay, so they had a rocky beginning," he reasoned to himself as he headed toward the kitchen. "But maybe the could work it out and become friends—" Kakkarot nearly fell over as he saw Videl and Gohan sitting at opposite ends of the table, battle auras flaring dangerously. Videl was shooting him venomous looks as she ate her food. He smirked back at her, only making her angrier in the process. "Or… maybe not."

"Didn't you say you were going to take a shower, dear?" Bulma asked a Okra placed a plate in front of her.

Videl grunted, her left eye twitching. "She was but, it was… interrupted," Mint said weakly.

"What? How?" Radditz asked, a smile fighting to break out on his face. This was starting to sound interesting, to say the least. 

Gohan rolled his eyes at the steaming girl. "HE walked in on me while I was changing," Videl growled. 

"Can you pass the meat, please?" Gohan asked his younger brother, trying his best not to let the girl ruin his appetite. 

Radditz's eyes widened. Oooh, this certainly was an fascinating change of events.

Chi-Chi's mouth dropped open. This girl had showed Gohan her naked body? What kind of a pervert was she?! She had only been there for a few hours and already she was making a move on her son? "Listen young lady, I don't know how the moral values on earth have changed in the past twenty years but it's certainly not lady like to expose yourself to a man."

Videl jumped up from her seat, her hands banging loudly against the table. Her cerulean eyes were blazing and her cheeks were an attractive shade of red.  "HE saw ME in the nude! HE JUST WALZTED INTO MY ROOM LIKE HE WAS FUCKING KING AND SAW ME NAKED, YOU CRAZY--!"

Trunks stuffed a piece of  his bread into his mouth, trying to cover up his laugh.

"And if you're trying to trick my son into marrying you by enticing him with your body," Chi-Chi continued as if Videl hadn't even spoken. Gohan choked on his meat, turning blue. Where did his mother get this stuff? "-- you're sadly mistaken. He would never fall for some hussy LIKE YOU!"

Radditz pushed his chair away from the table before a fight broke out. Some of the warriors looked like they agreed with Chi-Chi, while others just continued to eat as if fights like this happened all the time. "Fighting at the table is bad for digestion," Radditz inserted helpfully.

"It's not like that, Chi-Chi," Kakkarot soothed. "It was an accident. Gohan should have knocked, really."

Chi-Chi flung her fork at her husband who ducked, although it narrowly missed taking his head off. "WHY ARE YOU TAKING HER SIDE?!"

A knife flew by his head, coming so close he felt it graze his cheek. "I'm not taking sides, but you just can't accuse—" A wine glass smacked him the head. "Oww. Chi-Chi, be reasonable."

"Reasonable? REASONABLE? Fine. You want it that way? Don't blame me when she corrupts our son," Chi-Chi sat in her seat, glaring at Videl, who looked shocked at the accusation. "What else would you expect? Like mother, like daughter I suppose."

Radditz slid his chair further away from the table. He wasn't surprised when other warriors followed. A cat fight between women on Vegeta-sei was not to be taking lightly.

Videl's lip twitched slightly.

Oh, that was _it_.

Videl stood up, throwing her napkin on the table and stood face to face with Chi-Chi. "YOU listen to ME, you bitter old HAG. You can call me a hussy until you're blue in the face, but don't you _ever_ talk about my mother like you knew her," her voice was deadly unruffled and composed. "Because you don't know a damn thing. So if I hear one more disrespectful thing about my mother or family come out of your mouth, you're not going to live to regret it."

"A HAG?!" Chi-Chi glared back at the girl, unafraid. "Of all the nerve. Is that a threat?"

"Take it as you will," Videl turned away from the warriors before they could see the tears fall. "I've suddenly lost my appetite. I'm going to my room now," she walked out of the room, leaving the warriors thunderstruck.

Videl collapsed onto her bed, her resolve finally breaking down as she starting sobbing unrestrainedly against the silk pillow. She hated it on Vegeta-sei, a planet full of cold, uncaring, bastards who despised her for no reason. She desperately wished to be back on earth, sitting with her father, uncle, and grandfather eating breakfast, or even studying for her exams in her familiar bed. She wished she could go out to the movies with her friends, or go out on dates like a normal girl. With a heavy heart, she realized she might never see any of them again. Her chest was on fire, her breathing labored as she sobbed away all her pain.

_You need to relax. You'll get yourself sick, _she heard Yamucha's voice in the back of her mind. He was, of course, referring to her severe anxiety problems. After her mother had died, she had trouble sleeping and would often have crying fits that lasted hours on end. Worse, she would have an all out panic attack that would cause her become so ridden with apprehension and angst that she couldn't even breathe. It didn't just happen in the house, it would happen in crowded places like trains, buses, and malls, as well. 

The doctors had told Yamucha this was completely normal for a child who had had a traumatic experience and had prescribed her a multitude of antidepressants. As she got older, she needed them less and less, but Yamucha, Kuririn, and Roshi had remained very protective of her. Boyfriends had gotten the third, fourth, and fifth degree from them and that was after Yamucha showed them his collection of baseball bats and Kuririn told them that under Roshi's tutelage he had learned over 36,000 ways to kill someone with a bendy straw. 

Needless to say, Videl didn't date that much.

Videl sighed. How would they live without her? Yamucha already had to deal with her mother's death.  He would lose it, for sure.  She had a new resolve to live after this whole ordeal, just to go back to her family back on earth. No, they didn't fit the mold of the normal family. Her father was famous, he had a talking cat who was a shape shifter, her uncle had a new model girlfriend every month, and the old freak would steal her underwear and cop feel or two, but she cherished them dearly.

Thinking of them made Videl feel both better and worse. She curled up in a small ball, pulling her knees under her chin. She was so absorbed in her crying, she hadn't noticed a small girl with bright blue hair stick her head into the room, cock her head in confusion, and skip back out. The little girl headed towards the dining room in search of food. The warriors stood up when she entered and stayed that way until she took her place next to her brother. 

"Mama," she addressed Bulma. "You know that room that's across from Gohan's?"

"Yes, what about it?" Bulma asked, knowing perfectly well that it was Videl's room.

Bra took a piece of meat Okra had just cut up for her. "There's a girl in there and I think she's crying. Who is it?"

Bulma sighed and stood up, motioning for the warriors to stay seated. "I'll go talk to her. I think everyone needs to make an attempt to be kinder to her. It must be really hard for her to be here. Please keep that in mind."

Bulma knocked gently on the bedroom door and slowly opened the door knob. Videl's head popped up, feverishly trying to wipe away the stray tears on her cheeks. She looked on guard as the blue haired woman sat down on the bed next to her. "It's all right," Bulma soothed. "I just want to talk to you." Videl raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent. "I know this must be hard for you and I know you're upset. If there's anything I can get for you, all you need to do is ask."

_My freedom, _sat on her tongue, but Videl refrained from speaking. "I just want to be left alone for awhile," she said in a monotone voice, staring out the window. "Please."

"But—"

"Please." Videl sighed with relief when Bulma finally got off the bed and closed the door behind her. She had to get off this planet.

At any cost.

---

Videl shoved the rest of her clothes into her small knapsack, her heart beating rapidly, her palms sweating, and her eyebrow twitching. She was going to do it. She was going to leave this forsaken planet. She would probably have to hide out on some other planet (Yardrat sounded rather nice) for awhile and try to contact her family from there. Videl just couldn't risk the Saiyajins going after them or the Earth just to find her. If something happened to them, she didn't know what she would do.

Videl took out her decoder (the very same one she and Erasa had used to break into her high school biology lab to free the defenseless animals Erasa begged her to help let go) and tiptoed through the dark hallway, trying to figure out where the lab that held all the space pods was located. She stopped at her uncle's door for a moment, feeling slightly sad. 

_I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to know you better… but this is the way it must be, _she thought, her resolve hardening. _Goodbye, Uncle. _

She continued her trek down to the bottom of the whole castle, cheering silently when she saw the room filled with walls and walls on large monitors connected to computers and machines. She saw the familiar looking regen tanks and was relieved to find no scientists were there.

Videl stuck her decoder on the large silver door of the room where she was sure the shuttles were held and waited anxiously as it went through all the possible codes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. Videl's victory was short lived however as a strong arm pulled her to a very hard, very male body, while a large rough hand went over her mouth to smother her screams of surprise.

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice whispered into her ear, a hot breath making her shudder. 

Videl elbowed the stranger in the stomach, whirling around to face him. "You!" she hissed.

"Me," Gohan agreed, letting her go and nursing his stomach. "Out for a midnight stroll, Val'de?" he asked as cheerfully as his unfeeling voice would allow. "The garbage disposal room really is quite lovely at this time of night."

"Fuck off," she sighed. She had been caught. He was going to rat her out and Earth was going to get blown to kingdom come. How could she have been so careless? How could he have KNOWN she was down there? "How did you know I would be here?"

Gohan lip twitched into an almost smile. "I know you better than you know yourself," he said in a soft, almost ghostly voice that made Videl squirm. "I've been watching you for a long time."

"Watching me?" Videl cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Gohan gestured for her to follow him towards a huge shelf filled with tapes and CDs of all shapes and colors. Videl looked over the labels, nearly keeling over at the titles. "Videl's First Kiss?! Videl's First DATE?! Videl's First School Play (as the TREE)?!"

"You were very good in that role. Don't look so upset. It could have been worse.  You could have been the guy who only said, 'Thanks Columbus!'"

"There have to be over a thousand tapes here!" Videl ignored Gohan and started shifting through more tapes.  She was relieved to find there was no "Videl's First Bra" or "Videl's First Menstruation" or anything like that. "You're PSYCHOTIC! You're—you're some sort of voyeur praying on innocent girls!"

Gohan's eyes flickered. "Not innocent girls. Just you. It was my job, you know. To learn everything about you."

"Everything? What do you mean, _everything?"_

"No invasion of privacy if that's what you're getting at--"

Videl snorted. "This whole thing is an invasion of privacy. And you did seem a bit unsurprised when you walked in on me—"

"Not so much unsurprised as I was unimpressed."

"WHY YOU!!" Videl looked at the tapes once more, her face going from anger to confusion. "How _did you manage to get those tapes of me?"_

Gohan pulled out "Videl's First Day of High school". "Satellites of course. We had them circling the earth, taking videos of you."

Videl snorted. "Impossible. The government, CIA -- the _military_ would find them and destroy them."

"Oh, how your faith in your little Earth technology amuses me. They were cloaked, of course. No human would EVER know they were there." Gohan leered at her. "Want to see 'Videl's First Locker Room Experience'? It's my favorite."

"You had BETTER be kidding or I swear I'll—"

"You lived such a simple life. It was so peaceful and ordinary. After awhile, nothing surprised me about your surveillance," Gohan remained calm. "Except… you were surrounded by people, but you seemed so… lonely. So lost." His words were simple, his tone profound. Videl gazed up at him, their eyes meeting, really meeting for the first time. They seemed to reflect a silent understanding that only lonely people knew. 

The game had started.

And neither player had a clue.

--------------

Chapter 4:  Tactics

Videl had always known the Saiyajins were not very nice people, to put it mildly,  but she had no idea how utterly hateful  and close minded they could be about her existence.

Not like she expected them to roll out the red carpet and welcome her with open arms but--

-- she had heard their whispers, their murmurs, their mumbles. They were affronted by her heritage, her icy blue eyes properly insulted them, her so called "polluted" blood offended them. They all looked at her like she was a parasite, unfit to lick the dirt off their boots. "Look at the proud way she holds herself," she heard one woman murmur to her friend as she passed by them to go to breakfast. "What does she have to be proud of? She is just the lowly half-breed brat of a common whore. She has the blood of Saiyajin, but she also has the blood of a filthy human."

"Tainted blood," her friend agreed, watching as Videl bent down to tie her shoe. "Dirty blood.


End file.
